The Diamond Island
by Midnight Demonn
Summary: The old prophecies are changing.Jez Stukeley is having an amazing life as a Deputy on the Blood Captain.He doesn't WANT anything more.He's got all he desires.Until that girl with summer in her eyes comes.That's when his real tests begin.
1. Chapter 1

**`A/N: I'm replacing the first chapter (too many blunders) and I changed it a bit.**

**As they say: first impression the last impression!**

**The Dark Hours**

**Chapter One**

PRELOGUE

Connor watched the silver ripples of water float away from the ship. He'd been waiting for Grace to come out of the Captain's cabin tensely. He'd just arrived here, on the _Nocturne,_ and in a distance he could see the _Tiger_'s retreating form in the forming mist.

No one was on the Deck to tell him where he was supposed to go. He knew Grace was in the Captain's cabin because he could hear her speaking inside. This made him nervous. Should he go and knock to let them know they were here?

Yes. He certainly wasn't a coward!

And besides, the Vampirate captain was a nice man. He was full of mysteries though. Connor wondered why he wore a mask. It hadn't been really explained when his lost mother had appeared and told them that Dexter Tempest wasn't their real father…

Now, that had been a shock.

The Cabin's door eased open and a faint yellow light flowed out. An auburn head poked out and Connor recognized his fourteen years old twin sister, Grace.

"Hi, Connor!", Grace exclaimed, running out towards him to throw him a tight hug.

Connor had left the Sanctuary immediately before. Grace and he hadn't had much time to sort things out. Then Connor had been mysteriously called back because, according to Grace, the Vampirate Captain held answers for them.

Over Grace's shoulder, Connor saw the Irish Vampirate, Lorcan Furey step out of the Cabin, whom Grace was attached to at the moment.

"Grace", he said quietly, his blue eyes aflame. He looked ashen. "Please tell him about your heritage. I think there is no time to waste. There is another case on the Captain's mind right now and the girl's father is not too well. He says that he also has a vampire son".

"Yes", Grace pulled back. "Oh, Connor, you're not going to like this"

"Tell me anyway", Connor said.

"You remember Sidorio? Caesar?"

"Well, yeah"

"He is… he is our father. Our _actual _Dad"

Shock was like ice. He was frozen for a moment. He couldn't think.

"No", he moaned. "NO!"

**Well, it was better than the previous one. The story will dramatically change from here. I thought we should explain from where the Dark Hours start. I named it so because they're the darkest hours for the Vampirates!**

**ead the series after Black Heart.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the grammar mistakes I made in the last chapter. The thing is, I write and make loads of blunders. For future, please don't mind the mistakes!**

…**..so the story takes place after blood captain and this time, I want to include a new character here because everyone is confused that whom they should pair Conner with.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Vampirates! Oh yeah and, do read and review, folks because this story's going to be great!**

**Chapter Two**

Sidorio was leaning against his cabin's wall, his eyes closed. He was steady getting restless. It sounded strange, Sidorio restless? You could laugh yourselves silly. But it was the current mission which disturbed him, him, who was usually so calm and practical. He was having second thoughts about this all.

Evil though he was, Sidorio was also known as the man of his word. He had never broken a promise. That was the reason he avoided getting into such hurdles. It would be easy getting into thick tar, making vows and all.

Fourteen years ago, he'd made exactly the same mistake. He hadn't even realized it till now. Mistake, with a dear friend, who was probably rotting away in a gutter now.

When he was back at the _Nocturne_, he'd sent a baby to the mobile human world. He knew that the captain would soon exile him from the ship so he'd actually preplanned everything.

The girl was to grow up as a human, just like his own children-the twins: Connor and Grace Tempest. Except that she would be placed in an orphanage. He'd keep a watch on her from time to time. And when the time came, he would pick her up, resurrect her. Train her as a warrior. Shame, really, that she was a girl, or he could've had an army of monsters like her. But one was enough.

She was a tamed monster, her soul tampered and gagged. Once set free, she would be invincible. A little dose of torture, and the beast would be alive. She wouldn't even be recognizable. And he had a plan. A plan, he knew, would carry out perfectly, if she had that influence on his men. No, he wouldn't use her just as a female, no. She was way more precious, purer than that. He needed her blood pure.

And tonight…

Tonight, he was going to get her. Tonight, he would unleash the beast within her…it would claw out of her, the most powerful being on Earth. Then, truly, he would be the Emperor of the Night. He would kidnap her.

Someone knocked at his door, breaking the train of his thoughts.

"Yes?" Sidorio asked, irritated.

"Captain?"

It was Stukeley, poking his head in like he was, indeed, his naughty son. He had to admit, he did feel an affection for the Vampirate. After all, he was one of Sidorio's very first creations and had turned out to be just like Sidorio had expected. Loyal, practical, fierce and quite handy. Sidorio allowed him in.

"What is it?" Sidorio asked, annoyance seeping into his voice. He'd been busy thinking up his new world. He didn't like it when he was interrupted.

Stukeley entered, having no idea why the Captain was riled again. But he was bursting with energy, and excitement, ready to be praised by his Captain.

"Captain, we've found the girl you were looking for." he reported, smiling slightly. The rain drops glittered in his dark hair and on his neck, caught by the dim candle light.

"That's good." replied Sidorio. "I want to bring that girl on this ship, Stukeley. I want you to do it-with a group of others who have brains for the job. She's precious for my new reign. She's my jewel, get it? She's also a dhamphir."

"Half-vampire?" Stukeley confirmed, bewildered. He shut the door behind him, standing up straighter, more attentively.

"Of course." Sidorio said, nodding. "But she doesn't know this. Prepare yourselves though. I assume you know that half-vampires are extremely strong and unusually put up a fight when provoked?"

"Aye."

"Good. Nevertheless, don't harm or injure the girl in the process. I want her alive. Whole, in one piece. Not a single drop of her blood should be wasted. She shall truly help me change the tide once and for all!" He smiled then, ecstatically, quite madly, and turned away.

Stukeley left, unruffled. Sidorio was often weird.

::^!^::

Stukeley wondered why the Captain sought this girl. If she was a half-vampire, then why would the captain simply need her? The girl would be quite strong, but her strength wouldn't match that of a full vampire. How could she change the tide? His jewel? Really, how? He was getting curious.

Stukeley came out of Sidorio with his head high. He climbed the steps that led to the deck quickly, because they were approaching their destination. When he came up, he could see that the crew of the _Blood_ _Captain _had already assembled. Alive they were, animal eyes already gleaming in the night.

Even the thought of blood aroused them.

"All right then." Stukeley said loudly so that everyone could hear him. They turned to him expectantly. Too bad, really, that that girl wasn't going to be used for blood. They could do better with more blood, especially the dhamphir blood, which was also an elixir, known to make the darkest creatures alive. So many where oblivious to it.

Now, Stukeley needed to form a troop. The steps were already planned. Where was the second Deputy?

"Johnny!" Stukeley barked.

"_Harmano_, you haven't lost your marbles have ya? Why d'ya need so many people for this effing mission?" came Johnny Desperado's voice from up the sails. Jez Stukeley glanced up to see the hanging Vampirate, who dropped to the deck unscathed.

"She's very strong." Stukeley stated, even though he didn't believe it really. Dhamphirs were a weaker, mundane race. Like mules. Johnny muttered something illegible and nodded, narrowing his eyes.

Stukeley sighed and then resumed.

"Head for cover tonight. We don't want to be seen, we don't want to be noticed. Head for the mainland. The girl is there. I want the first troop to come with me though I don't think the girl will put much of a fight if we surprise her. But we need to be on guard-she's already got someone following her."

"Ah, who is this lucky girl then?" Johnny whispered to him as the others immediately set to work. It was rare when they didn't raid the main lands for blood and fear, but this strange work, to capture a helpless and defenseless girl was beyond intriguing.

"Someone who can change the tide. Strange, isn't it? Such a creature would only drag us lower. But I never question the Captain's decisions. They're usually good."

"I really wish she's good." Johnny said, rolling his pale eyes. "Need someone to enlightn' this ship. It reeks o' death-not that it bugs me. A lady friend would do me some good, yaw?"

"She's too young." Stukeley reminded him drawling, the unmasked disgust in his voice surprising his friend for a moment.

"For ya, maybe, old man. Me, I'd neva be too old!"

::^!^::

Finding her hadn't been exactly easy. Firstly, they were easily getting noticed. Secondly, she'd been recently adopted. They had to go into the human inhabitation, get dazzled by the current world momentarily. Luckily, she lived outside the chaotic habitats, closer to the sea.

There she was tonight, leaning against the rail, over looking the sea with a friend.

The first thought which came to Stukeley was that he indeed was small, and young. In the process of blooming into an adult, the small bud beginning to transform into a rose. He was surprised.

"Marietta, he confessed you know!" she was saying heatedly. "What was I to do when he dropped on his knee in front of me? I don't care what you think. I think Danny's a decent guy!"

With that, she turned on her heel and marched out away from her equally seething friend, who stalked away in the opposite direction. The place was now deserted, except for the target.

The night felt cool against Stukeley's face and throat, and it felt good. The wind ruffled his hair and his shirt as he motioned his troop to get ready, to go. They couldn't just jump on her. They had to let her walk away, down to the beach now. That would be their cue. Several Vampirates eyed the other girl, who'd become a tiny dot by now. But at his gesture, they fell back obediently.

The girl walked slowly, hugging herself as she stepped down to the beach just as they had expected. She was alone, defenseless and this was going to be fun, hearing her scream. She didn't even look extraordinary. Long, dark hair. Slightly tanned. Nothing that special. She finally settled down on the white sand dejectedly, almost angrily and started to weep into her hands.

Now.

As silent as the night, the Vampirates surrounded her, forming a circle from which she could escape. Stukeley grinned as he stepped forward. This was too easy.

"My, you make quite a noise, duncha?"

The girl's head jerked up and when she saw them, she breathed in deeply and the silence of the blissful night was pierced by a shrill little scream.

**That girl's a little young but…oh well. Sorry it was too short. I planned it to be a little longer but….r&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**For those who don't know-This happened before black heart.**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine, except the characters from my fragments of imagination, of course.**

**Thanks for reviewing, everyone!**

**Chapter Three**

The girl gasped as he moved closer.

"You 'kay?" Stukeley asked, feigning surprise. He kneeled in front of her. Her breathing hitched, and she scrambled backwards, her tanned legs curling in front of her. "You don't look okay."

"Who are you?"

Jez locked his eyes on her's and found himself staring. She had beautiful eyes. Bluish green with a silvery sheen and a hint of violet, as if stars had been trapped in her eyes. The girl, frightened by him, got up on shaking legs, backing up to bump into another Vampirate's chest. Gasping, she turned, confused now.

She was pretty. Too bad she'd interested the _Blood_ _Captain_.

Feeling another scream coming from her, Stukeley flashed onto his feet, dusting his trousers. Her eyes widened and her lower lip trembled.

"Wait." Stukeley said softly, playfully. He'd been charming girls ever since he'd been able to talk. This one should be easy-peasy. Wasn't it how he'd dazzled Darcy Flotsam of the _Nocturne_? "What's wrong? These're my friends. Want to know who we are, little girl?"

"I'm sorry." Her voice trembled, giving out her fear. She'd put on a poker face, but her fist trembled too. She backed away, but realized that she was trapped. "Do I know you?"

"Nope." Stukeley grinned fangs at her. "Would you like to? I can be very, very scary."

She screamed, and tried to escape. The circle broke. Another cue. Instantly, she was captured. She kicked, her hair flying, tears running down her cheeks.

"Let me go!"

"Aw, c'mon. I'm a nice lad. And you'll have _fun_ with me. I can be better than this Danny of yours." Stukeley pouted. "Sure? _No_? Well, too bad. I like you. So, you're coming with _us_." He grabbed one of her flailing arms and tugged her closer.

She cried out. Stukeley silenced her by placing his palm over her mouth. She tried to bite him, but didn't succeed. They were tying her up.

Johnny appeared out of nowhere, laden with more thick ropes, grinning at her. He stuffed a black cloth in her mouth, muffling her. Tying her had been easy. She wasn't putting up much of a challenge. But she was far from giving up.

She flinched when Johnny grabbed her by her long hair and gently tugged on it. She started to sob again, thick tears cascading from her mystic eyes. She squeezed them shut, and Stukeley finally looked away.

"Easy, we dun wanna hurt this little lady, do we, now?" Johnny sang delightedly as he let his crew mates drag the helpless girl aboard the ship. It was obvious that he had plenty of plans for her. Somehow, Stukeley didn't like this. She wasn't to be injured in any way.

Stukeley climbed up first, wrapping his arm around the girl's waist to help haul her up. She squirmed, moaning. He tightened his grip on her, When she was up, they dumped her onto the deck.

Sidorio was already standing there, looking like an inhuman king. He smiled.

The girl froze.

"Take the other route now. We're safe from danger. Well done, all." Sidorio commanded. A Vampirate saluted and immediately proceeded up to the wheel.

"It was easy, Captain." Stukeley said, disappointedly. "She didn't really put up much of a fight."

"Yaw, right. I got kicked in the stomach. Wonder how." Johnny grumbled. Then his eyes lit up.

"Captain, what're we gonna do to her?"

Sidorio smiled.

"Well, we can't really do anything till _she _does." Sidorio said coldly. "Which won't be soon." His crew laughed.

Sidorio bent down, his twin fangs glinting in the moonlight. The girl buried her face in her knees, shaking. Sidorio yanked her face up by pulling her hair. She sniffed, looking anywhere but him.

"You belong with us, girl." Sidorio said. "You do know where you come from, huh? No? Well, that's interesting. I thought your brother was trailing after you. No? Who was it then?"

"Danny." Stukeley provided, before thinking.

"Ah." Sidorio's lip curled. "Protecting you, now, is he? Very noble of him, I say. You were born on that filthy excuse for a ship, the _Nocturne_."

The girl shook her head mutedly, tears still leaking out of her eyes.

"Yes, I know you were curious. Everyone makes that mistake." Sidorio said in a mocking soothing voice. "I was the one who haunted you in your nightmares, din't I?"

The girl hung her head low. Stukeley watched her with a strange interest, like a child examining an overturned bug. Her expressions changed like the weather.

Sidorio leaned forward, and extracted the piece of cloth out of her mouth. It was so long that it was about a yard wide, and it kept coming out of her mouth. How had Johnny done that? She moaned.

"Let me go. Please. I don't know what you want from me." the girl cried as soon as Sidorio stood up. "I beg you."

"Let me think." Sidorio said softly, rubbing his brow. "Hmm. No. Not possible, Natalie. You're ours now."

Her eyes grew wider. All the fear visibly disappeared from her, evaporated into thin air. Stukeley, however just knew that she'd concealed her emotions again. She was still scented with fear, and it excited him. His upper canine teeth tingled and came unsheathed, indenting his lower lip.

Everyone was having the same reaction. But for Johnny, it was worse. He was positively drooling.

"How do you know my real name?" she demanded.

"I know everything about you. Didn't I tell you? You belong to us." Sidorio drawled, unperturbed. "I know you go by the name Chelsea Martin." He turned to Stukeley.

"Stukeley, I want you to check on her regularly. You may be her guardian during her visit. You are not to drink her blood-none of you are." Sidorio said. "Her blood's mine to take. Anyone of you who wishes to drink from her will ask for my permission first. If anyone takes her blood," he cracked his knuckles, "he will be severely punished."

"Yes Captain." Stukeley chorused with his crew mates, a bitter taste on his tongue.

He didn't want to look after the little dimwit. It was such a lowly job. He was supposed to be awarded something else, something honorable. But then, he was the most trustworthy of them, wasn't he? Yes he was. He stuck to his Captain's word. That was why he'd been assigned this job.

But why couldn't just Johnny do it? Stukeley thought. Oh. Johnny was still drooling. He could've been hit with a sword and he'd keep on salivating, just be staring at the mundane.

That was it. He needed to get her away from Johnny. He knew what his friend was thinking, staring at her concealed neck.

Then Stukeley found himself staring at her.

Oh lord, she _was_ lovely.

She made him nervous.

Maybe if she could just look anywhere else…

"What the hell are you?" she yelled as Johnny leaned down towards her, grinning almost madly.

"We're _vampires_, kiddo." Johnny snorted. "We drink blood. Yours smells great, by the way. You're so tempting…" his voice trailed off, his fangs protruding from his mouth.

"Vam_pirates_." a tall dark-haired guy corrected critically, who had remained behind to watch the girl. His eyes glowed lava-red in the moonlight. "Figure that out, girlie. Yes, you'd be yummy."

Sidorio waved them to get back to work.

"Until tomorrow, then…miss half-of –what we-are." he said as he vanished down to his cabin.

Natalie was crying now.

"No." she whispered, talking to herself. "This is a nightmare. Wake up. Wake _up_." Her voice cracked.

The ship tilted as waves crashed against it. She gasped, shutting her eyes as if they would all go away, indeed, like bad dreams. It moved something inside Stukeley, who'd resumed staring at her.

Johnny winked at him. "I wanna help yer." He declared.

"Johnny, do you mind checking her room?" Stukeley asked his mate. "I want to know our new friend a little better."

"Right ya are, _Harmano_." He descended too, whistling as he went.

**There you go! review immediately!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews, guys, I appreciate it!**

**Aw, indo why do you have to read it now? **

**Shadowhunter4life:**** I appreciate your help!**

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine except the ones that ARE mine! I HATE DISCLAIMERS!**

**Chapter Four**

Stukeley turned as Johnny emerged, still whistling, from the cabin. Stukeley had to admit, he'd never seen Johnny so bouncy, like a ray of sunshine before. It was weird.

"Well?"

"All ready." he sang.

"Good." Stukeley sighed. This cheering was getting to his nerves. "Right then-"

"Wanna help more." Johnny said reverently.

"_Fine_. Go fetch the girl. It's getting cold for her. We don't want her to get sick before she ready for whatever Captain's planned for her."

Johnny nodded and brushed past Stukeley. Why was he doing this? Normally Johnny would never take orders from Stukeley. Was he smitten? Ugh. Why had he, Stukeley, agreed to take care of the girl? Stukeley was getting sick to his stomach. What was _wrong _with him?

This feeling wouldn't leave him. It made him restless, so he couldn't sit down even.

The girl had fallen asleep after crying continuously for two hours. Stukeley hadn't let anybody get near her. And that'd made Johnny hysterical with laughter.

"You like her, duncha?" he'd managed to choke out at last.

"What do you mean?" Stukeley had asked defensively.

Johnny hadn't answered. Instead, he'd just smirked and walked away. And that'd made Stukeley even more nauseated. She was just a little girl. What could she do? How could she…

She was _lovely_. Those eyes…

_She'll get older. You won't. She'll reach your age someday…_

_No!_ Stukeley shook his head, banishing his hideous thoughts immediately. The clouds overhead thundered. It was going to rain again.

"Yo, Stukeley?" Johnny appeared at his side again. He tapped him on his shoulder. Stukeley knew what Johnny was going to say. She was there, ready. So he just nodded to Johnny, and carefully made his way down the stair case.

Stukeley had been right. The first drop of rain hit the deck above with a loud splat. It was going to storm soon. He was really beginning to hate storms, because he could never feel the thrill, the danger of it again. What was the point if your ship would just…lay low and float while the heavens shook in the sky? No point. No familiar rush of adrenalin. Nothing. It was great, according to Sidorio, because during the storm, they became invincible. They could absorb power.

Stukeley stopped outside her door.

He started to knock but his fist stopped in mid-air. He'd heard footsteps. Why was he feeling like this? It was stupid.

Johnny appeared in a flash beside him again.

"Just killed one." he reported triumphantly. "What? Ya still hangin' hea like a guppy? C'mon, _Harmano_. Go inside. She ain't bitin' ya. Yet." He chuckled at his own joke.

"Go away." Stukeley was getting irritated. Why wouldn't that bloody lunatic leave him alone for once? Okay, he had taken a liking to the girl. So what? Johnny didn't need to cause havoc because of this.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Johnny demanded. "What? Wha' happened up there anyway? Sidorio noticed yer expression, _Harmano_. You dun wanna him to loose his confidence in ya, now, d'ya?"

Stukeley rubbed his head and ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "I don't know. That half-breed did something to my brain. Everything slowed up a bit. I'm fine now."

Johnny clicked his tongue sympathetically. "Wish our dear Captain Would've trusted _me _with this job. Yer hesitating. Yer fidgeting. Is tha' normal? Nope, sir-ee, no. You coulda use yer charms in there. At least you can handle ladies thrown' themselves at ya. I'll bet she'd do too, even though she's a young 'un. Maybe that's why this job's yers. Still wish it were me, though." Johnny winked again.

Stukeley snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, you're the best." he smirked. "Get lost already."

Johnny looked offended as he vanished around a corridor.

Stukeley leaned against her cabin's door, sighing. Here we go. What had he done to deserve this? Was Sidorio testing Stukeley's loyalty? His patience? Or was he training him in some way?

_Maybe I have to prove myself that I'll remain loyal to him,_ he decided.

::^!^::

Morning came quickly for Stukeley. He retired to his room early to get some rest, after quieting her down the whole night. She kept wailing about her mother and her friends etcetera, etcetera. He gradually grew deaf to her sobs. He told her to go to sleep and sat by her door, watching the wood patterns on the roof with patience he hadn't known he had. The girl had tried to escape, but only once. It had been a lame attempt, and he'd pushed her away from the door.

She'd winced at the coldness of his touch and hadn't tried to get near him or the door again. He'd kept distant between them himself. She was strange, because she didn't fight back when he pushed her back, so hard that she'd toppled over her bed.

He had been given a cabin of his own of course, which was quite luxurious by human standards. He was grateful that he was finally going to get some shut-eye. Never had he exercised his control over the blood lust before. It tired him. The tiredness, in turn, reminded of the feelings he used to feel in the past and couldn't anymore. It depressed him for once reason. He was happy here. These old memories were lost in the past now. They shouldn't sadden him like that.

He even had a comfy bed like he used to, back at the _Diablo_, when he was a human.

He'd betrayed his ex-crew. He made them loathe him, to hunt for him. Maybe now he was paying for it…

That girl was haunting him. Her expression, frightened, filled his vision. Then those hypnotic eyes staring accusing at him, then flashing with anger, then flooding with thick, pearly tears. Tears caught on her long lashes, melding them together. Her cheeks aflame from the cold. Her wild dark caramel hair which looked so soft. Her voice…so…melodious…

Oh, shut up already.

Stukeley lay on his bed for a while, a thousand senseless thoughts whirling in his vampire mind like a huge tornado. He wondered if any human could have as much thoughts as he did at the moment.

Soon, he went into a deep, blank sleep. It was normal for him, because vampires dreamt very little.

He awoke at the dusk like every afternoon, groaning, feeling dead. Then again, he remembered that he was dead. The hunger attacked him with full intensity, his teeth tingling painfully. He was hungry. There were no windows in his cabin to tell him whether it was still night but he knew. He could feel it.

Time to feed.

He found himself in that room before he was fully awake. That glorious room, where those mortals lay, their blood seething in their veins and calling out to him…

He yanked open one of the cages that was assigned to him and picked up a random donor. Without waiting, he devoured it. It was it because it had no longer any identification. It was just food. That delicious taste of fear tempted him, exciting him until he could no longer care what was happening in the world.

When he was finished, brimming with blood he let go of the dead body. Disposing it off down the disposal chute, he went out, shutting the door, ignoring the complaints thrown at him by his fellow feeders. This Feeding room was the room in which most of the Vampirates hung out, along with the deck where he was going at the moment. Too get some fresh air.

Sigh.

Stukeley felt quite cheerful. He bumped into Johnny on his way up on the deck.

"Oi!" he demanded. "Whachya grinnin' about, _Harmano_?"

Stukeley shook his head and brushed past his crewmate and up in the fresh air of the deck.

Had he forgotten his task? Johnny wondered, gobsmacked. Or maybe not…Maybe he was happy he got it after all.

::^!^::

Stukeley hadn't forgotten his task but tonight, he strangely felt airy. Light-headed. Care-free. He hadn't experienced his kind of floaty feeling ever before-neither in his life as a human, but he'd felt a tiniest pang of it when he'd met Darcy flotsam. But this time, he sensed it more intensive. What was happening to him?

It had always been about how much ladies he got to laugh. He liked to be admired by them. He liked to be popular. Like when he was a human, he was still popular among the women. Even more popular now, because immortality had perfected his visage and body even more.

He was going to make her comfortable here, he realized. Because now that he'd seen her cry, he wanted her to laugh. He'd never wanted to make someone laugh like this before. This desire roiled in his chest, longing to be fulfilled.

Stukeley knocked on Natalie's cabin near midnight.

She didn't answer but he was greeted with a loud sob.

Stukeley pushed the door open, indifferent and stepped in.

There was no window in her room too. It was bare except a stiff white bed. She was huddled beneath it, her face buried in her knees as she wept. Oh no…

What shocked Stukeley was that the floor boards were flecked with crimson blood. _Her _blood.

Someone had bitten her while he was relieving himself.

**I'm so glad that I got to update, even when these stupid exams are whirling around me like a hurricane! Please r&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I feel so happy right now that here's another treat for you guys!**

**p.s. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Six**

Stukeley had secured the shivering girl in his arms. It wasn't that cold, he thought. Maybe she despised the cold radiating from _him_. She hadn't put up any fight when he'd dragged her up. She appeared to be lifeless, that pitiful mute thing. She wouldn't scream anymore. She wouldn't ask for food, or for water. She wouldn't go outside unless if was the lavatory-he never bothered to lock her door anymore.

All day long, she'd sit in one corner, not looking at him. He sat in the other, occasionally glancing at her. Her appearance had changed dramatically ever since they'd kidnapped her. She looked sad, like a lonely wildflower he'd crushed under his foot once when he was a boy.

They weren't friends. Oh no, still very far from it. She hated him, Stukeley could see that, the way she flinched everything he spoke. That bitterness locked inside her soul, the loss of appetite and silent tears were enough to tell him that. It made him even more miserable that he still hadn't mastered the control over his urge to sink his teeth into her neck.

The storm was raging all around them. It whipped at the ship's dark sails and the lightening flashed, followed by thunder. The savage thrusts against the sides of the ship were enough to break the _Blood_ _Captain_ into two pieces.

But yet the ship was peaceful in the roiling, wild waves.

The rain hit the deck with the force of boulders. Hail shattered against the wood, scattering on its surface like pearls.

Stukeley's crewmates were wild and they cheered as the angry sea tried to drown them unsuccessfully. They jeered and threw jibes, laughing with glee as the wind ripped at them.

"Ah, the sweet revenge of the mother nature!" Stukeley heard one of them sigh, obviously with immense pleasure. "But why isn't the Captain here yet?"

"Why?" Natalie asked suddenly, jerking up to face Stukeley, who nearly loosened his grip on her in surprise.

She'd never spoken to him before.

When he'd asked her whether she could describe who'd bitten her that night, she'd started to cry and it'd took a whole half an hour to make her quiet. So yes, it was a surprise that she found him safe enough to talk to.

"Don't know." Stukeley lied.

He knew why the captain had ordered her up here tonight. And it wasn't exactly pleasant. It was the night-the _night_ when Natalie's ancient powers would awaken. He felt a curious thrill spark up and down his spine at that thought. He hadn't seen anything so mystic before. Heck, he'd never even witnessed a wakening ritual before. So he was really eager to see this resurrection.

Sidorio actually sought his children-the twins. He'd recently found out about them and didn't want them to alley up with the Vampirates on the No_cturne. _He was already aware of the closeness of Grace and Lorcan. He was also searching for Sally Tempest who was Sidorio's ex-donor, and the twins' mother. Her own history was full of dark lies and twisting thorns.

Sidorio finally appeared. Majestic and a terrible creature he was, the nightmare of chivalrous, the bravest men alive.

In a second, he was in front of them all, wearing nothing but torn pants. Arctic auras radiated from him as if it were honey, thick and freezing, but a thousand times more terrible. The cold night had no effect on him. For a moment, he didn't even look like their Captain. Not even remotely something alive. He was a statue of all the tyrant and proud kings, their actions and their souls stuffed inside his buff body.

Sidorio tilted his head up to the swirling mass of thundering clouds in the sky and bared the twin fangs. A symbol of righteousness. This was their time, their world. Time to conquer it.

Stukeley felt Natalie shudder beside him. He slipped his hand around her smaller one to try to tell her that it was okay. He didn't know what else to do. His heart warmed when she held onto it with delicate pressure of her own.

"Come, join me tonight my friends." Sidorio invited them all, opening his arms wide in front of him, his action brimming with infinite power and command. "Tonight we shall all witness something we haven't –quite in a long time".

Sidorio's prodding gaze swept over Stukeley, who had dropped Natalie's hand with alarm. What had he been doing?

Stukeley felt himself grow pale, but nodded quickly, determinedly. He'd interpreted the message easily, of course. He knew that his captain meant that _he _should join him now.

Stukeley increased his pressure on Natalie's arm and dragged her forward, with a hard, adamant expression on his face and resolution washing over his lean body. Natalie gasped. She dug her heels in the wood to try and stop but it was nothing as compared to Stukeley's supernatural strength.

He yanked her forward so hard that she stumbled.

Natalie cried out in anger and disbelief.

"I won't go!"

Sidorio laughed.

"Come on, little girl. Tonight's your resurrecting night!"

"No!"

"Won't you celebrate your death day? No? Too bad, 'cause all the molding, rotten cake would go to waste then!"

Chuckles filled the air.

She tried to wrench her arm out of Stukeley's steel grasp as she twisted herself. Not quite succeeding.

Stukeley growled angrily, and continued to pull her along with him. He held her arms so hard that they were steadily growing numb.

"That's right, Stukeley. Drag her along. She'll know what she'll get if she disobeys her Captain." Sidorio sneered.

Natalie screamed, "Let go of me, you leech!"

Stukeley turned just in time to dodge her fist which had been aimed for his head.

"You filthy demons!" the girl yelled and aimed for Stukeley's face again. Stukeley grabbed her fist as it came for him. Twisted her arm behind her and wrapped his fingers around the other one, so that it looked like they were dancing.

She kicked at his shins.

Stukeley dodged her foot by moving to the right.

_Slap!_

Her warm hand struck his right cheek hard. He felt it sting. Stukeley bit his lower lip agitatedly, his hunger was distracting him. Also, he'd been too busy concentrating on their feet.

God, she was fast. And her blow stung, which meant that Natalie was stronger than she thought.

"Kenyon, Johnny, go help Stukeley with the brat!" Sidorio spat as he watched the two of them fight…or dance, more like. Stukeley had his arm around the girls slim waist now, and to do that, he had to bend down because she was shorter than him.

Kenyon and Johnny both came forward and grabbed Natalie's arms, which she'd been trying to loosen from Stukeley's grasp.

"You shouldn't've done that, kiddo." Johnny said, leering at her.

Natalie glared at him bravely. From the venom in her eyes, it was evident that she hated him.

"But of course, she doesn't know who she's up against." Stukeley said dryly.

Kenyon snorted.

They pulled her towards the mast of the _Blood_ _Captain_ and tied her up with the ropes nearly as thick as Sidorio's wrists. She squirmed against her bonds, but with that strength of her's, she couldn't have hurt a fly, let alone escape. Stukeley gazed at her worriedly. She was just creating more trouble for herself.

As Stukeley bent forward to secure her left wrist, he leaned towards her ear.

"Stop struggling or it'll hurt more." He breathed. She ignored that advice. Finally, they stepped back.

"Perfect. Now stand back-away from her now, and let the lightening strike her dead." Sidorio ordered, retreating several steps back again. Stukeley followed.

He was hurt.

She hated him.

Like everyone else.

The fire of guilt licked inside him as he stared at the pale girl in front of him, struggling for her dear life. She was panting with the effort, her mystic eyes wide with fear. He could smell it even from where he stood, raw and spicy, activating his already tingling Vampire senses.

_If only…_

The thunder cracked as if a giant had roared over them, and lightning flashed dangerously. It cackled, and struck at the sails of the darkened ship, illuminating the watching Vampirates' faces for a moment, the fiery hunger lightening their eyes. Lightning flashed and struck again, this time exactly on the mast where Natalie stood, tied.

Her heart-wrenching screams were drowned by the stormy sea.

Stukeley watched her suffering in agony. Burning in the white fire. It hurt his eyes, and he stumbled back, his hip colliding with the rail.

_The flowers bloom in the spring and die in summer,_ Stukeley thought. _They're filled with life in the colors of the spring and die in the deathly hotness of summer forever._

Natalie was a new flower in his life's spring, he realized. Because was something so pure, so new. Her innocence, her helpless called out to him like no other girl's had. She affected him like no other woman had. And she was being crushed.

Natalie's screams gradually died away. She was dying. Dead.

When the smoke cleared, they all saw a limp, lifeless, burnt figure of the girl. Her bonds had burned away from her, so her body lay, smoking on the floor. She didn't even stir.

"Vampirates, meet your new crew mate!" Sidorio boomed. "Tonight, I give you the treat for the outstanding you showed. Your patience shall be rewarded. Head for the land. Take your fill. We'll stay there for a night."

His crew let out a loud cheer that was carried throughout the seas. Raindrops started to splatter them. Water evaporated from them the instant it touched their bared skin. Water also fell upon the dead girl, cleansing her burnt features.

He should be happy. It had been a while since his efforts had been rewarded. But he wasn't. Stukeley didn't like this at all.

Stukeley felt positively heart-broken as he saw her charred face.

She was dead. His flower was dead.


	6. Chapter 6

**So…on with the story**_._

**Chapter Seven**

Stukeley watched the burned corpse of the girl in the middle of the crater of burnt wood. Smoke rose from her like a swirling grey mass-just like the clouds, only that the sweet-sickening smell of death nauseated him.

She didn't move.

She was gone, right?

"Why did you kill her, Captain?" he managed to choke out to Sidorio.

Sidorio shook his head, grinning triumphantly. He surveyed his crew slyly because he knew they hadn't witnessed such a thing in their immortal lives before. They probably never will, again. The Captain of the _Nocturne _was way too boring to show his immortal crew such stuff.

"Stukeley, she is not dead. Well, in a way she is. There is no need to trouble yourself over. Your duty has been lifted for tonight. She shall be resurrected soon. You'll return to watch over her, as her guardian when she wakes up."

Johnny looked down, resentful as he caught Stukeley's eye.

_See? It happens if ya get too close to a human. It happened to me back at the sanctuary, when I met tha' lass Grace Tempest._ He seemed to be saying.

Stukeley snorted and caught himself in the middle of doing it.

Ha. Like _he _had gotten too close to this stupid half-breed freak. Stukeley found himself growing back to his former self. He breathed freely, as if the air was finally clean to breathe. He joined in with the celebrations like no strange thought and feelings had ever haunted him.

He knew something had been wrong before. That stupid human had done something to him. He'd been hypnotized. Now, he could finally relax.

::^!^::

(**I added some Connor's povs!**_)_

Connor jumped back down from the sail, shielding his eyes from the mid-day's harsh sun.

_I hope Cheng-Li would grant me a day off, someday. _He thought.

They had returned to the pirate academy due to some urgent matters between Cheng-Li and Commodore Kuo. All of his crewmates were sitting in some part of the academy, either sunbathing or exploring the pirate academy-their previous training center. Connor was on the deck of his ship because he'd thrown a glass of rum on Cheng-Li and in result, had to clean up the toilets and now clean up the deck.

_It's like I've murdered someone,_ he thought resentfully.

"Hey, Connor, _Connor_!"

Connor looked down the deck-rail to see Jacoby and Aamir standing on the grassy shore, their faces tanned but still shinning with pleasure. They were both back to their old school.

"What?" Connor hollered back. "Can't you see I'm busy dancing with this thing?" he held up his mop.

"Cheng-Li said you can have the day off." Aamir told him. Then he grinned. "You can tell your lady-friend good day now."

"Aw, look, he doesn't want to part with it." Jacoby roared, laughing at Connor's sulky expression. "You two must've been going really steady, huh? I can tell by that dopey, smitten expression of yours that you love that old mop. Are you sure you weren't imagining it as Sugar-Pie?"

"Oh, go blow yourself, Blunt."

"Having fun?" Jasmine joined the two lads down on the jetty.

Connor looked down at his grimy clothes and grinned widely.

"I'm about to have some now!"

But having his day off wasn't going to make his day bright.

He was going to get a surprise too. His twin sister, Grace, was waiting for him.

And she had terrible news to tell him.

::^!^::

(_Back to the urgent matter-which is by the way, is Stukeley's pov )_

They moved the burnt girl-or whatever was left of her, in her cabin. She was immediately the most high-security thing on the whole ship, and the rest of the Vampirates sulked that she was off-limits to them and probably envied Stukeley's position.

Stukeley couldn't help but stare at the ashes of the girl whom he'd been attached to fifteen minutes ago. It felt as if he'd forgotten to do something terribly important. This feeling was awfully riling and distracting.

Someone clapped his shoulder. Stukeley didn't need to turn to see who it was.

"Cheer up _Harmano_. She won't be gone long."

"Johnny, you're insulting me greatly." Stukeley said sourly, and his eyes dissolved into twin pools of fire-or molten lava. He sank down in a lotus position, running his fingers agitatedly in his dark hair. He felt torn and angry. He was confused. Captain hadn't explained anything to him on how to control the blood lust because he'd never been caught in a situation like this. He'd always been encouraged to expand his hunger, not suppress it. Stukeley refused to believe himself. He was changing. He knew it himself.

"Eh? Am I hearin' these great fat words from yer mouth, my dear Stukeley?" Johnny lowered his face to Stukeley's, grinning madly.

Stukeley merrily glared at him which wiped the smirk of Johnny's face. What he said next made Johnny even more surprised.

"I don't have any feelings. I'm a grunt. All of my feelings died with me. When the Captain brought me back, my soul didn't return with me." Stukeley growled. "Humans are just-bottles of emotion. Humans explode with emotions when they feel like it. We don't. _I_ won't. We Vampirates are just echoes. We have no emotions. This enables us to hunt, Johnny. I thought you knew that already."

"I…didn't think like that." Johnny blinked. Then he shrugged. "I din't had a captain like Sidorio to lasso me to the right way, _Harmano_. I don't rememba much before getting to the Sanctuary but that Mosh Zu sure didn't think like our Captain."

Stukeley felt his anger cooling and got up. He felt…calm. As if he knew everything was going to be okay. Stukeley cursed himself for that. How could _he _know that everything was okay? Stukeley had been torn apart when he left Connor and Bart forever and he'd forgotten them but he'd opened a fresh wound a moment ago. He needed to think straight.

A moment ago, he'd felt happy that the half-breed was gone. But now, he felt sad, and terribly empty, alone.

As if a reminder, his cheek stung where he'd received her slap.

Stukeley didn't know what was happening to him. What was wrong with him. He wasn't sure he liked himself very much right now.

What he knew was that he needed to see her ashes again.

Johnny had disappeared and no one was up on the deck with him except Kenyon-whom he barely knew. That quiet Vampirate who'd helped him drag the girl to her doom.

Kenyon was busy with something and didn't notice that he was alone with Stukeley. Stukeley wondered where he'd come from, where his origin was and how he'd turned. Kenyon didn't seem wild, and that didn't go with the definition of the crew of the _Blood_ _Captain_.

As if feeling his eyes on him, Kenyon raised his head to meet Stukeley's eyes.

Kenyon wasn't bulky. Most of the Vampirates weren't. They were lean and flat-muscled like Stukeley. Kenyon had dark longish hair and grey eyes.

"You 'kay?" he asked him. He had a quite, low voice which could be heard despite the raging storm.

"Nah." Stukeley replied defeatedly. "I think not. Not so much."

"What's wrong? Did the pressure of work got to you or something?"

"No. But everything seems wrong to me." Stukeley complained unhappily.

::^!^::


	7. Chapter 7

**So…on with the story**_._

**Chapter Seven**

Stukeley watched the burned corpse of the girl in the middle of the crater of burnt wood. Smoke rose from her like a swirling grey mass-just like the clouds, only that the sweet-sickening smell of death nauseated him.

She didn't move.

She was gone, right?

"Why did you kill her, Captain?" he managed to choke out to Sidorio.

Sidorio shook his head, grinning triumphantly. He surveyed his crew slyly because he knew they hadn't witnessed such a thing in their immortal lives before. They probably never will, again. The Captain of the _Nocturne _was way too boring to show his immortal crew such stuff.

"Stukeley, she is not dead. Well, in a way she is. There is no need to trouble yourself over. Your duty has been lifted for tonight. She shall be resurrected soon. You'll return to watch over her, as her guardian when she wakes up."

Johnny looked down, resentful as he caught Stukeley's eye.

_See? It happens if ya get too close to a human. It happened to me back at the sanctuary, when I met tha' lass Grace Tempest._ He seemed to be saying.

Stukeley snorted and caught himself in the middle of doing it.

Ha. Like _he _had gotten too close to this stupid half-breed freak. Stukeley found himself growing back to his former self. He breathed freely, as if the air was finally clean to breathe. He joined in with the celebrations like no strange thought and feelings had ever haunted him.

He knew something had been wrong before. That stupid human had done something to him. He'd been hypnotized. Now, he could finally relax.

::^!^::

(**I added some Connor's povs!**_)_

Connor jumped back down from the sail, shielding his eyes from the mid-day's harsh sun.

_I hope Cheng-Li would grant me a day off, someday. _He thought.

They had returned to the pirate academy due to some urgent matters between Cheng-Li and Commodore Kuo. All of his crewmates were sitting in some part of the academy, either sunbathing or exploring the pirate academy-their previous training center. Connor was on the deck of his ship because he'd thrown a glass of rum on Cheng-Li and in result, had to clean up the toilets and now clean up the deck.

_It's like I've murdered someone,_ he thought resentfully.

"Hey, Connor, _Connor_!"

Connor looked down the deck-rail to see Jacoby and Aamir standing on the grassy shore, their faces tanned but still shinning with pleasure. They were both back to their old school.

"What?" Connor hollered back. "Can't you see I'm busy dancing with this thing?" he held up his mop.

"Cheng-Li said you can have the day off." Aamir told him. Then he grinned. "You can tell your lady-friend good day now."

"Aw, look, he doesn't want to part with it." Jacoby roared, laughing at Connor's sulky expression. "You two must've been going really steady, huh? I can tell by that dopey, smitten expression of yours that you love that old mop. Are you sure you weren't imagining it as Sugar-Pie?"

"Oh, go blow yourself, Blunt."

"Having fun?" Jasmine joined the two lads down on the jetty.

Connor looked down at his grimy clothes and grinned widely.

"I'm about to have some now!"

But having his day off wasn't going to make his day bright.

He was going to get a surprise too. His twin sister, Grace, was waiting for him.

And she had terrible news to tell him.

::^!^::

(_Back to the urgent matter-which is by the way, is Stukeley's pov )_

They moved the burnt girl-or whatever was left of her, in her cabin. She was immediately the most high-security thing on the whole ship, and the rest of the Vampirates sulked that she was off-limits to them and probably envied Stukeley's position.

Stukeley couldn't help but stare at the ashes of the girl whom he'd been attached to fifteen minutes ago. It felt as if he'd forgotten to do something terribly important. This feeling was awfully riling and distracting.

Someone clapped his shoulder. Stukeley didn't need to turn to see who it was.

"Cheer up _Harmano_. She won't be gone long."

"Johnny, you're insulting me greatly." Stukeley said sourly, and his eyes dissolved into twin pools of fire-or molten lava. He sank down in a lotus position, running his fingers agitatedly in his dark hair. He felt torn and angry. He was confused. Captain hadn't explained anything to him on how to control the blood lust because he'd never been caught in a situation like this. He'd always been encouraged to expand his hunger, not suppress it. Stukeley refused to believe himself. He was changing. He knew it himself.

"Eh? Am I hearin' these great fat words from yer mouth, my dear Stukeley?" Johnny lowered his face to Stukeley's, grinning madly.

Stukeley merrily glared at him which wiped the smirk of Johnny's face. What he said next made Johnny even more surprised.

"I don't have any feelings. I'm a grunt. All of my feelings died with me. When the Captain brought me back, my soul didn't return with me." Stukeley growled. "Humans are just-bottles of emotion. Humans explode with emotions when they feel like it. We don't. _I_ won't. We Vampirates are just echoes. We have no emotions. This enables us to hunt, Johnny. I thought you knew that already."

"I…didn't think like that." Johnny blinked. Then he shrugged. "I din't had a captain like Sidorio to lasso me to the right way, _Harmano_. I don't rememba much before getting to the Sanctuary but that Mosh Zu sure didn't think like our Captain."

Stukeley felt his anger cooling and got up. He felt…calm. As if he knew everything was going to be okay. Stukeley cursed himself for that. How could _he _know that everything was okay? Stukeley had been torn apart when he left Connor and Bart forever and he'd forgotten them but he'd opened a fresh wound a moment ago. He needed to think straight.

A moment ago, he'd felt happy that the half-breed was gone. But now, he felt sad, and terribly empty, alone.

As if a reminder, his cheek stung where he'd received her slap.

Stukeley didn't know what was happening to him. What was wrong with him. He wasn't sure he liked himself very much right now.

What he knew was that he needed to see her ashes again.

Johnny had disappeared and no one was up on the deck with him except Kenyon-whom he barely knew. That quiet Vampirate who'd helped him drag the girl to her doom.

Kenyon was busy with something and didn't notice that he was alone with Stukeley. Stukeley wondered where he'd come from, where his origin was and how he'd turned. Kenyon didn't seem wild, and that didn't go with the definition of the crew of the _Blood_ _Captain_.

As if feeling his eyes on him, Kenyon raised his head to meet Stukeley's eyes.

Kenyon wasn't bulky. Most of the Vampirates weren't. They were lean and flat-muscled like Stukeley. Kenyon had dark longish hair and grey eyes.

"You 'kay?" he asked him. He had a quite, low voice which could be heard despite the raging storm.

"Nah." Stukeley replied defeatedly. "I think not. Not so much."

"What's wrong? Did the pressure of work got to you or something?"

"No. But everything seems wrong to me." Stukeley complained unhappily.

::^!^::


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey guys, another good chapter's coming up! _

_**Ashton: **__actually I don't speak German, but I love all kinds of languages. I'm working on German lately so I thought why shouldn't I use it??? _

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(And it starts with Connor's pov)

Connor was on the ground with even a bigger grin on his tanned face than before.

"Ahhh. Sweet earth!", he sighed." it's been too long since my feet touched the land. At least I don't have the fear of falling on wet wood anymore".

Aamir smirked.

"And having your face shoved in the toilet", he said, amused.

They laughed when a deep flush appeared on Connor's face. They all remembered when it had been storming outside a few days ago, and Connor and slipped. Fortunately, for Connor, there was no one down there except Aamir and Jacoby.

"You must hurry, mister tempest, or you're going to be late, I daresay", jacoby said." Grace is waiting for you inside the academy. I'm fascinated by the connection of you two. You two're telepathic. I wonder how she knew you were coming".

"Grace's here? _I don't believe it!_" Connor asked, so surprised that he didn't really hear Jacoby's long speech.

"Follow me", Jacoby said sighing.

He and Aamir led Connor past the academy gates. Connor didn't need to see the sign to tell him what it said. He knew it already.

"Connor!"

Connor lifted his head to see his twin sister rush towards him.

He caught her in his arms and hugged her hard. Grace had been away from him for a while but it seemed like a year to him. Grace was frailer than before and she'd grown paler which added to Connor's worries for his sister.

"Grace? What happened to you?" Connor asked as they pulled away.

"Nothing", she replied, smiling. "It's been a long time since I last saw you".

"Tell me about it", Jacoby rolled his eyes.

"Urn…can we go inside? I need to tell you something", Grace said uneasily.

"Why inside?" Connor asked curiously.

"Because it's …" Grace lowered her head, her lower lip trembling.

"We'll leave you two in privacy", Aamir said and dragged Jacoby away.

"Hey!" jacoby cried as he slogged with Aamir.

"Now what is it, Grace?" Connor asked, turning back to his sister.

Grace suddenly turned pale. She didn't say anything. She bit her lip nervously.

"Grace! You're going to make me irked, you know", he said. Connor was slowly feeling the dread. If something happened to the _Vampirates,_ Connor didn't care. All he cared was that his sister shouldn't get involved in it but it already seemed that she _was _involved.

"Well…um…I don't know how to say this but…" Grace stammered." Oh Connor, it's so dreadful! The Vampirate captain has disappeared!"

Connor didn't believe his ears.

"_What_?" he asked surprised.

Grace nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"That's why I'm here.", she told him. Lorcan's incharge of the ship and you know he hasn't got the power which the captain does. That's why he sent me here, to be safe."

"So how did the captain disappear all of a sudden?" Connor asked.

"I don't really know". Grace confessed." We went to see him in his cabin-you know me and Darcy. We wanted to discuss something about the feasts. And-and when we got there, his cabin was all pell-mell. The floor was covered in blood".

She broke down completely. Connor had never seen his sister in this way before. Grace seldom cried.

As he hugged her again, muttering useless comfort words in her ear, his heart seemed frozen with shock.

The Vampirate captain had always been strong and he displayed an aura of infinite power. How could he disappear like that? And especially all of a sudden?

He knew that the Vampirates needed their captain. Without him, more rebels would protest and maybe even take over the ship.

_Where _was _he?_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………_._

_the chapter's sort of short but it would do for now. Keep reviewing if you want more!!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry about the blunders, guys! _

_So…on with the story!_(Geschichte_!!)_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………_._

Stukeley's pov:

He was sitting on the rail, facing the ocean when Sidorio came up to join him. Stukeley turned.

"Captain, it has happened", he said.

Sidorio nodded, looking pensive, as always. He smiled grimly.

"I know, Stukeley, I know", he whispered, which was unusual. Stukeley didn't say anything so Sidorio continued. "I knew that someday the Vampirate Captain wouldn't have the strength to face me. I knew that he would chicken out some day".

"But where has he gone?" Stukeley wondered out loud.

"Into the exile himself, I think", Sidorio replied then shrugged. "I don't care, as long as he doesn't interfere with _me_. Tell me, Stukeley, would you do what I'll say? Will you remain loyal to me no matter what?"

Stukeley was taken aback. Why did the captain ask him this? Didn't he know that Stukeley would always remain faithful to him?

"I _will_ remain loyal to you, captain, no matter what", Stukeley replied quietly.

Something gnawed at him from the inside like cancer disease but Stukeley managed to ignore it, whatever it was.

Sidorio turned his back to him.

Stukeley could see his broad shoulders and powerful muscle-bound arms sag down for a moment. What was wrong with sidorio?

"Wake her up, Stukeley", Sidorio said and then started to walk away from him.

"But-captain, _how_?"

"Make her drink blood. Her body has reformed".

"But-", Stukeley began again but Sidorio gave him a 'sort out it yourself' look and disappeared from the deck.

Stukeley watched the ocean helplessly.

_Why was he being punished?_

_What had he done to deserve this?_

It was four in the morning when Stukeley went down the stairs. He avoided as many of his kind as he could, especially Johnny.

He could admit that he'd started to really hate Johnny.

The door opened with a creek and Stukeley allowed himself to look around.

_Curiosity can get me anywhere; _he thought and smiled to himself.

The room was small and bare like the last time and this time, Stukeley was relieved to see that there was no blood this time.

His eyes caught a coffin resting on the bed. The human's ashes were in there-but Sidorio had said that her body was reforming. It maybe reformed right now. Stukeley took a step forward, closing the door softly behind him.

_What am I supposed to do?_, he thought._ Watch her wake up like a zombie or something?_

Stukeley's feet barely touched the wooden floor as he sauntered toward the coffin.

It was covered in dark velvet, the one you often see in old vampire movies. It was fancy, and forbidding.

Slowly, he lifted the lid and peered inside.

He almost dropped it back down in surprise.

Inside, the human laid, her dark hair spilled around her and her skin paler than even his. Her long, dark lashes were like crescents on her cheeks.

She wore a long, black gown, which looked similar to her coffin. She looked peaceful…deep in sleep.

What surprised him the most was that the half-breed was _breathing_.

She was alive. Her white hand curled beside her ashen face.

Stukeley gulped, not quite believing his own eyes.

She was one of his kind now. Stukeley wondered if she could still grow up.

Her neck was exposed.

_Blood_, he thought, feeling his nerves turn into fire.

Stukeley looked back at the door for a moment, absolutely still. His senses turned outwards, alert for the slightest sound or smell. No one was down here tonight. Everyone was up.

What made him hungry was that he hadn't fed. He'd killed twenty-six humans in the last week and he knew he could kill more. Once he'd started, he couldn't stop. He wanted more.

His upper canine teeth sharpened and elongated, and delicate. Like a cat's, only longer.

He breathed softly, through his nose.

What was he doing?

Was he out of his mind?

His senses were sharp, alert.

He pulled open the lid farther, letting his vampire instincts take over him.

A drop of blood won't hurt anyone.

He bent down, sinking his teeth in her neck.

Then the whole world dissolved into the mad taste of sweet, coppery blood.

And Stukeley was lost in it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

…_Fortsetzung folgt...to be continued..._

_My heart's beating like a drum right now. I'm so excited._

_Did you like it? Or did you guys hate it? Review right now! _


	10. Chapter 10

_I think I can update the next chapter right now…I want to write!!!_

_Alright, listen up people, I want REVIEWS. My sister reads all sorts of fics and never bothers to review any one of them. So I don't want anybody to read it unless they can review it. _

…_so __weiterlesen__, people!!_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Stukeley's teeth pierced her neck and almost immediately his mouth was flooded with the sweetest blood he'd ever tasted before.

The girl didn't even stir. She was still sleeping, but the peacefulness of her sleep was gone. A restless expression replaced it.

Stukeley leaned on the coffin for support. He was trembling with shock.

What had he done?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull away. His instincts had warned him before.

His hand was crushing the wood of the coffin below the velvet. He heard it crack he squeezed.

The blood was warm and it sent sparks up and down his nervous system. Stukeley gasped softly, and shut his eyes.

He never wanted to stop.

But there was plenty of blood. She didn't seem to be drained yet.

He kept drinking. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Stukeley wasn't used to the calm victim. Whenever he fed, his victim resisted, and fought for life till the end. But the girl was still limp. She was still breathing softly, in rhythm.

"It's enough, Stukeley"

Stukeley froze his hand still on the coffin, his teeth in her neck and the other hand on the lid. His eyes flew open.

His senses must've been lying to him, because there was no one in the room except for them. He could neither hear anybody nor sense them in or outside the cabin.

"Stukeley-stop!"

Stukeley groaned as he tried to speak. His voice was drowned as blood still rushed into his mouth. He tried to pull himself away.

A small white hand pushed him away and he staggered back, breathing fitfully as he stared at the girl inside the coffin, bewildered.

She was alive, and was now sitting up. Her eyes like the mint leaves were wide and were oddly bright. She raised her hand close to her face, examining it, as if seeing it for the first time. She closed it into a fist.

Then she gently rubbed her neck, where Stukeley had bitten her.

As Stukeley watched, the puncture marks disappeared. Completely dissolved back into her skin.

Stukeley had never seen anything like it before. He wasn't breathing.

"What _are _you?" he managed to rasp.

Natalie shrugged. She still hadn't turned towards him yet.

"I don't know", she replied quietly. "_You _should know what I am. Or maybe your captain. I didn't ask for this you know".

Stukeley thought he'd gone mad.

"But-but I saw you-you were dead a moment ago-", he stammered.

She smiled faintly, for the first time.

"I'm a half-vampire", she replied. "I finally believe you guys. Tell me, stukeley; is it normal for you guys to see black spots in your vision?"

"No"

"Then why am I seeing the spots?"

Stukeley shrugged, and allowed himself to breathe.

"Maybe because you're dead now", Stukeley replied uneasily.

"Oh" she blinked. There were tears in her eyes.

Stukeley knew how it must've felt to be kidnapped suddenly by a strange crew and then getting injured and then killed.

And now he'd told her that she was dead. She was an extraordinary creature.

Stukeley leaned against the wall.

"You've got blood on your face", Natalie told him, turning towards him.

"Huh? oh-yeah", he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Now he was really unhappy. He was guiltier than ever.

He couldn't stay in the room. It seemed to be suffocating him. Why didn't he have a control on himself?

"I'll be going now. I'll see you later", he said and without hesitating further, he slipped out of the cabin.

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_Sorry guys, the chapter's a little short but my computer's broken I think. I'll try to update soon!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks for the reviews!!! Sorry that the chapter's taken a bit long, but this chapter's interesting too. Enjoy!_

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_In the black heart, cheng-li tells Sidorio about his kids. But in my fic, the twins found out from the Vampirate captain. Sidorio remembered about the twins…_

_Stukeley's is SO much in trouble…ha-ha._

Stukeley's fangs kept tingling as he leaned against his cabin's wall. He was confused.

He swept his tongue over one of his fangs and immediately felt it sharpen.

Memories flooded his mind.

That girl looked similar to someone, now that she was a vampire. But Stukeley couldn't place her. Maybe he'd seen her before-during his human life…

_She didn't drink any blood…I drank her's instead and she woke up…I didn't follow the Captain's instructions…if he knew what I did, they'll kill me…she's so young…her blood's so delicious…how can I face others?_

Stukeley shook his head, trying to clear it. He suddenly became angry. No one could confuse Stukeley. No one would ever take him away from Sidorio's crew. Not even the half-vampire girl. She had no powers to control him.

Did she?

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Darkness rolled over her as she stared at the ceiling. She had no thoughts at all. She was just staring as he quietly watched her. It should've been boring for him to watch her staring, if he weren't looking at her neck. It awoke an inner fire in him.

What was he doing??

Stukeley snapped out of it suddenly, and blinked at the length of rope in his hands.

"Oi!"

Stukeley looked down, past the rail to see Johnny glaring up at him from the land. Moonlight washed him, making him look even more eerie.

"STUKELEY GET YOURSELF DOWN OVER HERE SO WE CAN GO AHEAD ALREADY!" he shouted.

Stukeley breathed in softly. He'd been day-dreaming. Not exactly _day _dreaming, but _night_ dreaming. Again.

It'd been a week since the girl had awoken and as usual, Stukeley had imagined himself trying to taste her blood again. He hadn't, of course, really tried it. He hadn't talked to her again lately. He'd occupied himself with more work but there never seemed to be enough work to keep his mind from wandering to her blood. Johnny didn't know what was going on, but he'd clearly noticed his new behavior.

"Stukeley!!!"

"I'm coming you idiot! Stop shouting if you don't want me to rip your throat out right now!" Stukeley yelled back, jumping down the deck in a somersault. His feet touched the ground noiselessly.

Great. He'd said it. As long as Stukeley could remember, he and Johnny never really had a fight before. But Johnny was really getting on his nerves.

A tall form leaped down from the ship as Stukeley straightened himself up.

"You guys should keep it down", Kenyon said in his quiet voice, his intense burgundy eyes completely opaque in the darkness.

They were on some kind of an island. The white water felt cool around Stukeley's bare ankles as he smiled. A whole island of humans to feed on. It seemed like a big treat.

Sidorio was already in front of them, leading frightened Natalie into the trees.

Sidorio had already begun to train Natalie. He'd told Stukeley that she was still vulnerable, as she was a half-vampire, and that her vampire side had just been activated. But unlike them, she could go out in sunlight. That made her powerful than them. She could live as a human, but apparently, Sidorio seemed against it. He said that it was best that they should train her as a vampire, and for future, even in sword fighting.

Natalie seemed weak to Stukeley. It wasn't that he thought it as his fault, but it nagged him.

"There should be plenty of blood here", Johnny said, his eyes shining like a cat's in the darkness.

"And we should hurry", Stukeley said. His veins were starting to burn. He could smell humans in the air. "The captain said that this island should be cleaned out of humans before morning".

"How come he's always talkin' to _you_ all the time? I'm supposed to be a deputy too, you know", Johnny said, his voice icy.

"Maybe he's getting tired of you", Stukeley suggested, a devilish grin on his pale face.

They walked silently into the forest. It was dark, with different kind of smells and sounds. Stukeley couldn't make out the outlines of Sidorio or the half-human girl anymore. He lost Johnny and Kenyon too after some time. He was alone now, almost in the heart of the forest.

He was prepared to kill tonight, just like the old times. He felt inhuman too. He stopped for a moment, looking up at the sky. It was stormy. Lightning flashed.

He started to walk again. He was enjoying the various smells and sounds all around him. There's another world on the land, he realized. And it's completely different from the ocean.

Stukeley had a sense of deja-vu. He felt as if he _had_ been here before. But when?

He pushed away the bushes that snagged at his legs and looked up to see a number of small huts. No one was here. It seemed as if he was the first one to attack the humans.

The nearest hut was small, made up of coconut trees' leaves and stone.

His heart started palpitating as he drew nearer.

Then his senses were gone as he broke the door of the hut. There was only fire of hunger.

And then screams.

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Natalie stumbled a little as she untangled herself from the bushes. Her eyes shone like light glinting off an emerald. Her mouth was dry and she was all alone when she heard screams coming from somewhere ahead.

She was still confused. Sidorio-the vampire Captain had explained her heritage to her but she couldn't believe it. How could she be a half-vampire? The sight of blood made her throw up. As far as she was concerned, Sidorio and his crew gave her the creeps.

She wanted to escape.

She had to think…if she could get a row boat from here, she could row away. She had no idea where, but she just wanted to get away. Especially from that Stukeley. He was the scariest vampire on the ship. Natalie tried hard to keep her fear in control whenever he was around. Whenever he came down to her room, her insides screamed with fright. Not that he was ugly. He was handsome, with strange light in his eyes. A light that wanted to kill her.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. What was she supposed to do? Sidorio had said nothing to her at all except 'Use your instincts, kid'.

_Get out of here while you still can_, a tiny voice said in her mind._ Run away._

Natalie began to walk back towards the ocean when she heard the shrill screams of a woman again. She turned towards the clearing. Curiosity was driving her crazy.

A hut came into view. It was dark, but she could make out the silhouettes of people inside. The screams were coming from the inside.

She slowly walked towards it, her heart beating so painfully that it hurt. What was inside that hut?

Why was the woman inside screaming?

As Natalie advanced the front of the hut, her eyes caught sight of a small stream of something dark flowing outside the hut. Her nose was telling her what it was but she refused to believe it.

"Oh, god", she muttered, feeling sick.

It was blood.

It was everywhere.

She felt so dizzy suddenly. _Oh, please, no…_

Her trembling hand reached for the door. The screaming had finally stopped. She knew that the woman screaming before was now dead.

She pushed the door open.

"Hello?" she asked weakly.

No one seemed to be inside the hut. But the floor was splattered in blood. Dark, dark blood…

Wait. There was someone in there. She heard someone move.

"Hello?" she repeated.

Her heart was banging against her chest.

Then she spotted someone. Someone who scared her. He was scaring her now.

"Stukeley, is that you?" she asked.

Yes. It was Stukeley. But he was holding someone…someone dead?

Stukeley didn't answer her. His arms tightened around the limp form.

Then she realized who it was. The woman who'd screamed earlier.

Stukeley had killed her.

"Stukeley?" she managed to choke, stumbling back. Waves of dizziness hit her. Nausea choked her.

She couldn't think what to do. She was frozen on the spot.

Stukeley tossed the limp figure away from himself, gasping for air suddenly. He treaded on the woman as he came out.

There was blood on the front of his shirt and neck. His skin was chalky-white and his eyes were of an animal.

_Oh, god, no..._She thought dizzily.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She hadn't been scared when he'd awoken her because she wasn't thinking clearly. But now, she had her wits and was maybe about to loose them.

"Nat…?" Stukeley rasped.

Natalie screamed as he drew nearer. Then stumbled over the upturned roots of a tree and fell back. She quickly climbed on to her feet and started to run as fast as she could, away from him.

She had to get away. She couldn't survive with them because she wasn't one of them. They were the predators and she was their prey. Unless she got away from them, she would be killed.

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_tell me how much you guys liked the chapter. I'll try to update soon!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Hmmm…what will happen next?_

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Grace waited patiently for the _Nocturne_ to arrive. She was sitting down near the harbor with Connor beside her. It was after midnight, and they'd sneaked off their rooms to meet the Vampirates on the _Nocturne_.

"Are you sure they'll arrive today?" he asked, Yawning widely. His face was so tired that it almost alarmed Grace. There were dark bags under his eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure", Grace replied.

She looked at the dark, calm ocean. She'd once jumped in it, trying to reach Lorcan and the other Vampirates because it'd become her obsession. It wasn't that she'd been stupid, because they had come for her.

She didn't want to try it again, though. One experience was enough.

"Look!" Connor said suddenly, pointing towards their east. "There they are!"

Grace turned towards the direction her brother pointed as could saw mist forming there. Slowly, as they watched, a dark shape loomed over them from the mist. It grew bigger and took more shape as it drew nearer. The _nocturne_ had arrived. And with BAD news.

"So we've done everything we can", Lorcan said, his hand resting on his forehead in frustration." We have no idea where the Captain went. We've checked everywhere we can".

They were on the deck of the _Nocturne,_ because the Vampirates didn't really love the idea to be in the harbor oh humans where they were either loathed or were just myths to them. So Grace and Connor had climbed aboard. Grace could feel that Connor felt a little uneasy, but she didn't worry about that then.

"So now what?" Grace asked." We couldn't just…rest!"

Lorcan's eyes were dark as he returned her gaze.

"I wish I knew what to do, Grace. I've never been in control of the ship before and I'm not used to it yet. But it really means that you're not going to come with us till the Captain is back…from where ever he is…" he tailed away.

Grace was flabbergasted." You're _not _joking, Lorcan…after all what the Vampirate captain told us…"

"Grace, you know I don't really want this", Lorcan said apologetically as he hugged her goodbye.

"I know", she said softly, returning his hug.

"We'll come to take you back the minute we have our captain", he promised. There was sadness in his ocean-blue eyes and his voice." You know that without him, you're not safe on the ship. I wish I could protect you".

Grace managed a smile.

"You should-"she began but a loud scream cut through the air, breaking her off.

_To Stukeley's problem...OHNO Stukeley, what on earth have you done???_

……_.……………………………….._Stukeley's mind was in total chaos. He couldn't understand. One minute he was sucking the life of that screaming human and the next moment he'd detached himself from her to see the girl run away from him, screaming. How'd she found him? Wasn't she supposed to be with Sidorio or something?

"Wait!" he rasped as he started towards the path she'd taken.

Natalie kept running. But it didn't take long for Stukeley to catch up with her. She wasn't running at her vampire speed.

But it didn't took him long to catch up with her. He saw it happen in slow motion…

A blurred figure appeared in Natalie's way. She failed to dodge him or her in time. They knocked her down on her feet again, absorbing the energy of impact themselves. Stukeley could make out his vivid red hair and flashing eyes-somewhere between yellow and red.

"Hey!", Stukeley yelled angrily.

The blurred figure raised his head and realized what had just happened. With a gleam of white, he scooped Natalie in his arms and disappeared into the forest trees.

Hot, murderous anger boiled in Stukeley. Who was he?

What the hell was he doing?

Natalie's screams died out. Stukeley's heart was beating madly. It was all his fault…she was gone…

She was afraid of him…

Maybe she even hated him too.

No!

Stukeley ran after the stranger, picking up his musty scent as he ran. But he and Natalie were no where in view…

A terrible, sinking feeling started in Stukeley's stomach. Where were they?

The night was silent.

All was quiet.

He came out of the forest, moonlight bathing him in silver. In front of him, the ocean was stormy. It was going to rain.

A twig cracked from somewhere behind him. He spun around quickly.

"Natalie?", he breathed.

But it wasn't Natalie. It was…Kenyon.

"You alright, mate?", he asked, puzzled.

"No…someone…took her away…got to find her", Stukeley made no sense to Kenyon.

"What do you mean, Stukeley? You've lost whom?", Kenyon stepped forward. Like Stukeley, he was also covered in blood.

"She's…gone", Stukeley moaned, despondently. He couldn't let her go…

"Let her go, Stukeley. It was planned that way", came a grave voice from behind them.

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_ok, I'm going to update another chapter in the coming days…but keep don't keep your hopes up…Stukeley's lost her…I'm so cruel sometimes!!!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Ok guys, sorry for the mistakes and vagueness of the previous chapter. But the main story starts from here. Let me get this straight-Stukeley is never going to meet her again. Of course, the story's going to be very, very much different from here. So enjoy!_

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Natalie's head felt heavy. She was just coming out of the unconsciousness. She felt nauseated, and to make it worse, she felt floaty and terribly dizzy.

She had no idea what had just happened a minute ago. All she knew that Stukeley had been chasing her-and then she'd fallen over and then scooped up by someone-a guy and then she'd been knocked out cold.

Natalie felt a distant whooping feeling in her stomach. She recognized it immediately. It was sea-sickness. She opened her eyes and saw that it was pitch black. There were no stars or Moon out tonight.

A small sigh escaped her lips. Where had she landed herself into?

She tried to stretch her legs and found out that they could move. She'd expected herself to be all tied up. But she wasn't.

She felt the rough floor of the row-boat underneath her as she shifted.

"Captain, she is awake", came a smooth, baritone voice from somewhere near. But its source wasn't in the boat.

Suddenly, she felt chill fill her entire body, as if some one had pushed her into the Antarctic sea. She felt stunned for a moment, as a dark shape formed in the night. Then suddenly, her stomach heaved.

She quickly pulled herself up over to the edge of the boat and threw up. It was nothing but blood. She was vomiting blood.

It made the water around the boat dark. Pain seared up in her chest as she gasped for air. The pain turned into burning. Her upper jaw ached and her vision blurred. She had no idea what was happening to her.

Her world turned black.

All she knew was that she couldn't breathe.

_Sit up, child, _whispered the blurry dark figure above her. It was so soft that she didn't hear it at first. What was more, it wasn't audible. It filled her mind instead.

She opened her mouth to say something, but she choked instead.

She sensed movement again and then-

Bliss. What she felt was bliss. A never ending, sweet bliss.

Stukeley turned around to see Sidorio standing behind them.

"What do you mean?", Stukeley demanded.

Sidorio's expression remained flat.

"I planned it this way", he confessed pensively. "Well, not _exactly_ this way. Shall I tell you my plan?"

When Stukeley didn't reply, he continued.

"Yes, I think it's time. Stukeley, Kenyon, this girl is on the _Nocturne_ now".

The Captain's words stirred a memory inside Stukeley's mind. The first thought was Darcy. Something connected Natalie to Darcy…on the Nocturne… yes, on that ship…

"There is a vampire on that ship", Sidorio said calmly. "His name is Vivian Velde. He was my friend since I became a Vampirate myself. In fact, he was the one who helped me in the earlier days. He taught me how to drink blood".

Now Stukeley knew. Why hadn't he guessed before? He'd seen those green-blue eyes before on that ship. But those eyes belonged to a tall, dark-haired man. Stukeley didn't know who that man was but he'd met him during a feast. Maybe he even had had a conversation with him.

"Vivian was an extraordinary vampire. He was on the _Nocturne _since the sixteenth century-you can estimate how powerful he was. But his power broke down when he came aboard the ship. He saved me before I could destroy myself. Of course, I never told anyone about him before but you two are the most trustable vampires of my crew. And I think-", he looked at Stukeley solemnly for a moment before resuming"- that I owe you Stukeley, after you took care of your little prisoner. I'm getting an impression that she has changed your life Stukeley".

Stukeley gazed the ground, a blank expression on his pale face.

"I have no such feelings for her, Captain", he said quietly. He even didn't knew that himself yet. She was only fifteen. And he was twenty-three years old.

"Alright", the proud Captain sighed reluctantly.

"What happened to Vivian, Captain?" Kenyon suddenly asked.

"He broke away from the _Nocturne_ for a long time. I don't know where he went or why he went away. But after ten years, he came back on the ship. He wasn't alone. He had a new-born daughter in his arms".

Vivian was Natalie's father. He was a vampire, so it meant that her mother was a mortal.

"He said that his wife had died. The only reminder of her was his half-vampire daughter. He wished to protect her, to take care of her. But that Vampirate captain never agreed. He said that the girl could live as a mortal. Vivian couldn't abandon his only daughter just like that. And that was when he asked me to give her to the humans".

"You gave her to the Orphanage", Stukeley said softly.

"Yes", Sidorio nodded. "I realized how powerful that child would be. I wanted to keep her alive. So I did left her there, on the wet porch at night. But the trouble began when Vivian found out that where I'd left her. I think he'd expected me to kill her but I hadn't. He went wild. Crazy. He was locked up. I never saw him again".

A deadly silence followed the story.

_I saw him alright,_ Stukeley thought, feeling the waves of misery hit him. _And even though he seemed sad and quiet, he wasn't locked up. He moved freely on the ship's deck but hardly joined any conversation at that time._

Now, as the first drops of cold rain hit him and instantly evaporated, he realized how many pains that girl had suffered from.

Natalie tried to reach with her hands but there was nothing to hold on to. She kept falling deeper into the mist. The darkness of the night was replaced by bright mist; it was so bright that it hurt at first.

_Wake up…_

The soft whisper filled her ears but she could see no one.

_Wake up…just drink a little…more…_

She wasn't drinking anything. Her mouth was as dry as cotton. Why were they teasing her? Why would they disturb her? She felt so peaceful….

_That's it…good girl…_

What's going on? She thought panicking suddenly, snapping out of her unexpected daze.

_I've always known you, Natalie…even though you've grown…you haven't changed a bit…_

Natalie's eyes opened slowly to adjust to the darkness. She'd been unconscious for a while. She could make out red hair. Animal golden eyes glinting off moonlight in the darkness. And then a masked face. She screamed.

But she couldn't quite manage that. A fountain of blood erupted from her mouth as she choked again. She pulled herself away from the golden-eyed boy, covering her face in horror.

What had she been doing? She had no idea.

But what made her feel disgusted was blood. It was all around her; on her clothes, on the boat, on the boy's shirt…

_It's okay, Natalie, you don't have to be afraid of us._, a new mental voice filled her ears. It was warm and very, very familiar.

The golden-eyed boy smiled at her for a moment, then turned toward the masked figure standing over them, as if asking for the next action.

_Don't look so scared, child. You are one of us…_the soft whisper sent waves of peace in her mind.

_You were always one of us. Even though Dad never agreed,_ the golden-eyed boy communicated with her, frowning slightly.

"Who…are...you?"

_Ssssh._

"We're almost there", the masked man spoke to the boy. The boy nodded, and then got up onto his feet.

The boat was large for a row boat. It was made up of smooth, dark wood.

"Where am I?" Natalie asked softly. She hugged her knees and glared up them.

"You'll see", the boy spoke for the first time.

"Who are you? How do you know me? You aren't even human!" Natalie threw her questions at them, letting her emotion flow out of her.

Suddenly, the golden-eyed boy laughed.

"Captain, she hasn't changed one bit", he informed the masked man.

The Captain obviously couldn't show his expressions because of his mask, but Natalie had the distant feeling that they weren't going to hurt her-yet.

"I never saw your sister before until tonight", the man sighed. He had a definite aura of power around him. It was also respect. "I assume you'll tell her accurately about her past when we get back on the ship?"

"Yes", the boy nodded." But can I talk to her now? I think she's going to strangle me if I don't start to explain to her right this instant".

"I don't know how to strangle a Vampire", Natalie muttered.

"I'll show you how", the boy sat down next to her, smiling widely.

He was only a little older than her. Perhaps he was somewhere between sixteen and nineteen. And he'd claimed to be her brother. But as far as Natalie could remember, she'd grown up with her parents back in Essex, Britain.

"How can you be my brother? I don't even have a family".

"I'll tell you your story when we get back", he replied.

"Get back _where?_"

"It's a ship, but not an ordinary ship. The people there are-"

"-_Vampirates_", Natalie finished for him.

His eyes widened for a moment.

"oh, yeah", he said." I forgot. They must've told you everything. Anyway, this is another ship. The _original_ one, I might add. It's called the _Nocturne"._

"Why am I going there? Why can't I just get back to the previous torture place?" Natalie said her voice shaking." Why can't I go back to Stukeley or Sidorio?"

"Because they'll kill you", the boy replied matter-of-factly.

His answer seemed right. She remembered Stukeley's fangs and shuddered.

"I think I'm already dead", she confessed. The boy seemed alright to talk to.

"How come?"

"Because I was hit by a bolt of lightening, that's why. I heard them say that it was for my resurrection or something".

"Well, they spoke the truth. Welcome to the dead, Natalie". The vampire said cheerfully.

"I still don't know who you are", Natalie said uncertainly. It would be great if he was her real brother and if Sidorio had been right, then it proved their connection. But she wasn't in any mood to trust him.

"My name's Raymond Rees", the boy replied.

_Great. Now I'm going to be stuck with new vampires for a change, _she thought bitterly._ Did I ever want all of this?_

As she thought, a dark shape formed on the waters, between the mists.

The ship was huge, and dark. She could see lantern light on the deck which was reflected on the water below.

The _Nocturne _had arrived.

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_FIRST NOTE: so now you can figure out that Grace also knows Natalie's father even though she has no idea that who Vivien Velde really is. Yay! The twins are going to come aboard…as for Stukeley…I have no idea how he'll survive. But don't worry, dear readers, I'm not that cruel!!!_

_SECOND NOTE: YoU MuSt ReViEw!!!_

_THIRD NOTE: Does anyone know the __Vampirate Captain's__ real name? if so, contact me immediately!!!_


	14. Chapter 14

_And our story continues with loads of miseries…and perhaps something magical too._

Stukeley sighed, and buried his face in the feather pillow. He felt like crying. He hated himself. He'd never been emotional before. It felt funny. And it hurt him.

It was day-time, but as there were no windows in his rooms but he could almost sense the sun's heat. The ship moved peacefully through the ocean. He couldn't see it now, but he could think of its sparkling blue waters sloshing into waves around the ship. He missed it sometimes, like now. For the first time in his new life, he wondered whether he wanted this kind of life before he died.

Maybe. Every one wanted to live for ever; there was no question to that.

Stukeley thought about what Sidorio had told him the last night. He didn't really remembered Vivian Velde but Natalie's mint-colored eyes had brought make the memory.

He sighed, and pulled the thin blankets over his eyes, turning over. He felt completely restless. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from here and-

_Stop it, idiot,_ he told himself angrily._ You'll go crazy if you think further. I hate everything. I hate myself. You're stupid, mad!_

Memories flooded his mind as he closed his eyes tightly, breathing painfully…

_Connor. Bart. Captain Molluco. The Vampirate captain. Darcy. Natalie._

He wouldn't loose her. But he already had. He'd lost all of them.

There was nothing he could do except return to his usual life.

Natalie yawned. The bed was warm, and soft, but she couldn't put her mind to sleep. All she could do was think about previous night. All that had happened felt like a blur. She couldn't actually grasp all of it. The boy who'd claimed to be her real brother was a vampire. If Sidorio was right about her being a half-vampire, then maybe he was.

Last night, when they'd boarded the ship, the boy had immediately assorted her down into one of the empty cabins. He'd advised her to get some sleep until he or the Vampirate captain returned. But neither one of them had returned. She'd rested a little. Her leg muscles still ached.

As she looked around the room, she thought she knew why the Vampirates still hadn't returned. It was day. Golden morning light bathed her room richly. It felt great. Back at the previous ship, there had been no window in his cabin and she'd been left in darkness because they'd never even let her light a candle at dusk.

She pushed herself up, and pulled away her tangled hair from her face. How many vampire ships were there? Was it possible that every one of the ships on earth belonged to these fearsome creatures? Long ago, she'd grasped it that the vampires _did _existed. It was all supposed to be a myth. Then for a millionth time, she thought that perhaps she'd hit her head on her wardrobe's door and had concussions ever since. Perhaps she was in hospital right now, thinking that she was here on this…she frowned, trying to remember the name they'd told her-the _Nocturne._

Natalie slipped out of the bed, bare footed and walked slowly towards the door. She was just about to reach the door knob when someone opened the door for her. She gasped, faltering in her steps.

A tall vampire with bright blue eyes and long black hair stood in the doorway, talking to someone over his shoulder. Then when he turned, his eyes dilated for a moment, then returned to their normal size. His smile was perfectly friendly, not like Stukeley's blood-thirsty one.

"Oh, sorry", he mumbled. "You must be Natalie Velde. I'm Lorcan Furey".

Natalie nodded then reluctantly, shook his hand which he'd immediately extended towards her.

His touch was cold…yet not as cold as Stukeley's, whose hands were like large piece of ice. Why was she comparing him with this Lorcan? Did she miss him? She hoped not. She wanted to be happy without his presence.

"I heard you're…one of us, right?" Lorcan asked.

"I guess you can say that", Natalie said shyly." But I'm a half-vampire. Sidorio told me".

Lorcan's face was expressionless for a little while as he spoke.

"Yeah. I haven't met anyone like you before, except a friend of mine. So…"

"Aren't you past your bed-time?" Natalie asked teasingly.

"Urn…yes", he replied. "Well, sometimes when I can't sleep, I roam about with Grace in the hallway"

"Grace must be his friend. Natalie noticed how his eyes brightened up when he mentioned Grace. It was obvious that they had a strong bond between themselves. Natalie had never been close to anyone before. Not even her family.

"Why isn't Grace with you now?"

"She's not on the ship. She went to stay with her twin brother for a few days", Lorcan replied. "She'll be back today".

Suddenly, Lorcan turned to his left. Natalie couldn't see why he'd turned abruptly, but she knew it when the golden eyed boy appeared beside Lorcan.

The air seemed suddenly unfamiliar. Natalie took a few steps back. She had to admit, she was frightened of that boy. His eyes were intense.

"What's going on in here?", he demanded.

Lorcan smiled at him.

"Oh, hello, Raymond", he said warmly. "We've just met. Your sister's an extra ordinary girl, I daresay".

Raymond's whole body relaxed.

"Lorcan, I was going to strangle you if I didn't saw you first", he admitted. "Those people back at the ship scared her to death. I can't let happen to my only sister".

Lorcan nodded understandingly.

"I've seen similar cases before", he said. "Anyway, I'll see you two at the feast after Grace gets here".

With that, he disappeared from their sight.

Natalie, with her breath caught in her throat, gazed into Raymond's golden eyes. He smiled and stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Before she knew it, he was hugging her tightly.

"Nat…I've missed you so much", he whispered into her ear.

Natalie felt uneasy for a moment, but his hug seemed loving, familiar.

Maybe he was her brother after all.

"I never knew you, Raymond", Natalie admitted, still in his arms.

"Because you were young", he replied, pulling back. There were tears in his eyes. "I was four years old when they took you away. I'm a full vampire, unlike you. You know why? Because technically, I'm your half-brother. Dad married two times. But he eventually lost his both of his wives".

Raymond led Natalie gently towards the bed.

"I was born in 1975 in Germany. My mother died because of fire after three years. Dada took me with him to this ship. I was teething at that time-that is, I was developing my fangs. The Vampirate captain took us in, because both of us were still stunned by her loss. But after a few centuries, Dad left again. He left at Dawning bell. When I woke up the next night, I found havoc on this ship. No one knew where he was. I tried to follow him, and eventually got lost in the human world. I found Dad with you, Natalie. He was staggering around the place, and he was weaker than ever. You were human and he loved you even more than me".

He closed his eyes, and leaned against Natalie's shoulder.

"I hated you for that", he admitted, his voice muffled against her shoulder. "I wanted to kill you. But when I saw Sidorio taking you back to the human world, I saw why dad loved you so much. You/'re everything like your mother. You're powerful. But not meant to live among us. In a sense, you craved love. You've never known your family until now".

"I followed Sidorio to that orphanage on that stormy night. I saw you were almost dead. That was when I realized that my feelings for you should be different. I shouldn't hate you. It wasn't even your fault when you became my half-sister".

Natalie felt stunned by his story. It seemed so real. Maybe it was.

"Why can't I remember you, Raymond?", she asked.

Raymond lifted his head up, sighing.

"I removed your memories of me. I've got special powers to do so. Not everyone is able to do it. Anyway, I helped you so often in orphanage even though I never lived in there. I didn't want anyone to find out that-I'd taken care of you since that night. But I lost you when you were having an argument with your friend-Marietta-was it? I lost you. That's why that scum ordered his crew to kidnap you. He somehow knew I'd lost you…"

"Where's dad?" Natalie asked him, wiping a diamond-like tear off his white cheek.

"Sleeping somewhere on the ship. I haven't seen him since we got here", he replied.

"Why aren't you asleep then, if you're a vampire?"

He shrugged.

"Dunno", he replied, smiling, embarrassed. Natalie smiled knowingly. It seemed as if she'd known him her whole life.

"I think you aren't lying. I believe my story now", she had never seen any one so convincing before.

Raymond fell quiet. He was lost in his memories until Natalie laid a hand on his shoulder.

Natalie smiled again at Raymond, who was so pale that his skin was whiter than snow.

"You've told me everything I wanted to know. Thank you", she said." But I don't want to live here. I want to return to my world, Raymond. I don't belong here".

"We'll see about that. Tonight's the Feast and there will be too many vampires to watch you leave"

Lorcan had mentioned something like that to her.

"What is this _Feast?_" Natalie asked curiously.

"It's a very special ritual of blood sharing", Raymond began calmly. As if it were the easiest thing in the whole world.

At the word "blood" her stomach lurched. Glimpses of memories flashed like a film in her eyes.

Sidorio spilling her blood on her second day at his ship. Stukeley cleaning her up-gently, almost as if caringly-then light hitting her squarely and everything blacking out-something tingling in her neck and a feeling of something being taken out of her body slowly, followed by unfamiliar pain-scared, ashamed eyes glancing at her-Stukeley at her door, leaning against the wood, snoring slightly at day-then again Stukeley in the pale moonlight, looking up at her, with blood everywhere on him, watching her, scaring her with those dazed, animal eyes…

Then nothing. Her memories of him ended up in a blur then finally fading out.

Somehow, she knew that she wasn't going to get away from those memories forever.

She kept her face buried in her brother's shoulder, and started to sob.

Stukeley's eyes were unfocused as he came up on the deck that night, yawning widely. His head felt loose from the lack of sleep. Oh, why did he ever bother to try to sleep? He had known that he wasn't going to get any of it anyway. But he was determined to hide this from his friends.

The cool wind slapped on his face immediately as he set his foot on the deck. It sent his hair felling into a dark tumble. The moon and the stars were out this night. It was beautiful. Not a single wisp of cloud was in the deep black sky. He tilted his head up, and saw the stars wink at him. Was it possible that she was out there, watching them too?

Perhaps not. She might not even remember him anymore. He'd seen the hate in her eyes.

"What's up, Stukeley?"

Stukeley turned to find Johnny standing behind him with a rope dangling from his arm.

"Move, if you _don't_ wanna rip my throat off", he sneered.

Stukeley's chest boiled with hatred as he moved away from his ex-friend and ambled towards the rail, enjoying the cold wind.

His name used to be Jez Stukeley. Now it was just plain, old Stukeley. It meant murderous Stukeley.

He'd have to apologize to Johnny sometime or later, because he was feeling terribly alone now. Not even his Captain paid much attention to him. It seemed like ages since he'd coughed up his first tankard of beer when he became a vampire, and how he'd killed that little girl at Ma Kettle's…he'd never felt so alone…if only he could go somewhere else.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Johnny grunting, wrestling with the sails of the ship. Even though Johnny was brawny, he sometimes seemed to appear stupid. Suddenly, a plan came to Stukeley. Johnny returned Stukeley's glare, as if he knew what was Stukeley thinking.

Stukeley grinned up at Johnny, and then in a quick pace, he joined him.

"What?" Johnny demanded.

"You hungry tonight, eh, Johnny?"

Johnny glared angrily at him for a moment, and then grinned back, reluctantly.

"Yeah", he replied, shrugging. "But then, why'd _you_ care?"

"Because", Stukeley said slyly. "I know a perfect place. Why don't we ask the Captain? It'd be a great way to make up to you".

"Make up? We aren't a bunch of _girls,_ for god's sake!" Johnny snapped.

"No, no", Stukeley shook his head. "I've been rough to you, mate, and I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me".

"For old times' sake?" he added hopefully.

"Well…I don't know", Johnny said. "You've been crabby for a few days, but again, I suppose I'll forgive ya".

"Excellent!" the taller of the Vampirates exclaimed.

"C'mon, let's go ask him", Johnny said and led his friend it towards Sidorio's cabin.

Sidorio was fingering a golden locket when he heard them knock at his door. He slipped the golden locket in his pocket and allowed them to enter. First, Johnny entered, followed by Stukeley.

Stukeley's appearance shocked him. He'd been quiet since he'd brought the girl aboard but now, in addition, Stukeley's face was solemnly depressing to look at. Sidorio knew that deputy missed that girl badly. It pleased him greatly. Everything was going according to the plan.

"What is it?" he asked calmly.

"Captain, are we approaching Ma Kettle's tavern?" it was Stukeley who spoke.

"Hmmm", Sidorio frowned. Then he slowly nodded as he remembered. "Why, yes, we are. But we're not stopping there at the moment. Why?"

"Because", Johnny replied." Stukeley wants to go there with me"

"And why do you want to go, Stukeley?"

"Captain, I wanted to feed from those rich, healthier veins tonight", he replied, his face paler than usual." I'm feeling pretty down lately. You know the girls who serve are perfectly delicious to drink from".

Yes. Sidorio had noticed Stukeley's appearance before. He definitely wanted a boost up, because he was the most reliable person Sidorio had ever got. He was a stubborn fighter and he'd survived the intensive flames of Porfirio's burning ship. Stukeley wasn't dumb enough to show himself to his ex-crew anymore. He knew they wanted to kill him.

"Fine, Stukeley, go, if you must", Sidorio replied. Then he turned to Johnny who was standing with his mouth slightly hanging open.

"But, Johnny, there's no need for you to go along", Sidorio said. "I'm sure Stukeley can take care of himself. Can you find us once you jump off, Stukeley?'

Stukeley nodded eagerly while Johnny sulked.

"Fine", Sidorio continued. "But, you must be back on this ship after three days. I'm planning an attack on a very valuable ship"

"Yes, Captain, I will", Stukeley said hurriedly. Then without waiting further, he ran out of the room, with a swish of his cloak.

Johnny stared at him, angrily.

He muttered something angrily. A curse.

"Now, now, now", Sidorio pushed himself up from his chair and walked around Johnny's tense figure slowly, noiselessly.

"Let him go", he told him. "You don't want to go with him to ruin my plan".

"Plan? What plan, Captain?" Johnny repeated, confused.

"My very first plan, Johnny. The one which I only confided in you, remember?" Sidorio began to drawl now.

"Oh, yes, I remember, Captain", Johnny replied. "That nifty boy is going to help us succeed in our plan",

And then they began to laugh.

Outside, a shadow sprinted towards the place where Stukeley had jumped.

…………..………………..………….………….……….….

_Two WHOLE chapters combined! Can you BELIEVE that????????_

_p.s. REVIEW_

_A._

_AND LASTLY, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!_


	15. Chapter 15

_To my dear reviewers: I am not planning to write a second TWILIGHT fic cuz it's starting to give me a headache…so…ONWARDS, UPWARDS, shall we?_

The deck was lit by flickering yellow lamps when she came up later that evening. There was a dead silence there and everything seemed dead to her.

Natalie pulled the cloak tighter around her shoulders and walked towards the rail. The wind hit her with full force, wiping her hair into her eyes. She pulled the loose strands away, frustrated.

She frowned, and she could see the tiniest pinpricks of light somewhere very far. They were approaching a particular part of that land fast. She had no idea where they were headed but she had a little idea why. That blue-eyed boy-Lorcan had told her that they were going to pick up his friend Grace before the Feast started.

The darkness had just fallen and she didn't know where Raymond was. Natalie didn't really want to think about him because whenever she did, she remembered her bizarre past, which she obviously didn't like it at all.

Something caught her eye. Natalie bent down her head, trying to see in the dark waters.

She couldn't explain what she'd just seen. But it looked like a white shirt…

Yes. She saw it again. It was definitely a shirt.

But it was only a white shirt, floating in the surface of the water. Where did that come from?

The shirt started to float away as the ship drew nearer. Then to her surprise, it was swallowed up completely in the depth of the sea.

_Weird_, she thought, pulling herself away from the iron rail and standing back to gaze at the horizon. Why was all of this weirdness happening to her all of a sudden? Okay, not all of a sudden but since she'd been dragged off to the sea.

Natalie half-heartedly glanced back down in the sea, feeling the muscles of her stomach tighten slightly.

Nothing was left in there now.

A cold hand touched her shoulder.

"Hey, you alright?"

She jumped, and then turned sharply to find a pale, beautiful girl with a swishing bob stood behind her.

"Hello", the girl smiled. She had a funny, cockney accent.

"Um…hi", Natalie returned. "Who're you?"

"I'm Darcy", the girl replied." Darcy Flotsam"

"Oh", Natalie said feeling uneasy. The girl was so beautiful and pale that it was certain to Natalie that the girl was a vampire. But atleast she seemed friendly.

"You're a vampire?", Natalie asked.

"I guess you can say that", Darcy said. "I'm also the ship's figurehead. That means I've got to light all the lamps and get ready before the whole crew's up here".

"Figurehead?", Natalie repeated.

"Yeah", Darcy replied. "I'm all wood at day so the sun can't hurt me", she said, fingering a pearl necklace at her neck.

"You sure like to dress up", Natalie noticed, eyeing her fancy outfit. She had to admit-Darcy had a different, somewhat old-fashioned sense of style.

"Sure thing", Darcy replied. Then she stepped up and joined Natalie by the rail.

"You see those lights there?" she pointed to the tiny pinpricks which were barely visible. But of course, with her paranormal senses, Darcy could sense very much that Natalie had missed.

"Yeah"

"That's where we're heading"

"I know but where is this place?"

"Harbor of the pirate academy", Darcy said easily.

"_Pirate academy?! _Oh, God I must be hallucinating", Natalie moaned, not believing the vampire-figurehead girl beside her.

There were _pirates_ here too? She would soon need to go to an asylum because she knew she was plainly going nuts.

"Yes, Natalie dear, it really is. Didn't your brother tell you that?" Darcy said gently. "You're not imagining it at all".

"But.-but is Grace there? How could she live there, with all those smelly, muscle-bounded-ew", Natalie shuddered.

"Who told you about Grace?" Darcy asked, confused. "Did Ray tell you?"

"No, that Lorcan guy told me this morning", Natalie replied.

"You met Lorcan? That's great!" Darcy said excitedly.

Natalie wondered if Darcy was always so full of this energy,

"Yeah he…" Natalie's vision dimmed. Suddenly, her throat burned, her upper jaw tingled. She couldn't breathe.

"She was dimly aware of Darcy's frantic hands and face looming in her vision occasionally. A sharp pain seared through her neck. It was so sharp that she wanted to scream in madness.

Her heart stopped beating.

Her lungs collapsed, starting new pain in her chest.

Black death swallowed her whole.

*

Stukeley's fingers were in the water. He pulled them out, and rolled to his back on the little row boat. The crescent hung low over the sea, casting its pale silver light softly on the dark sea. All around him was endless water. He was alone tonight.

He could feel the waves bobbing the ship gently up and down.

He closed his eyes.

He had left the ship because he missed the girl. He didn't know where she was, but he guessed that he would find her back on that island. Sidorio had told him that she was on the _Nocturne,_ but if Natalie was there, there Stukeley would never see her again.

He had to admit-he'd been beginning to get obsessed with her. He wanted her everywhere, but now she was nowhere.

Natalie hated him. She loathed him like the others too. Stukeley swept a hand through his hair, frowning. What had he done wrong? He'd only followed his nature and extended his paranormal abilities but now the whole world hated him.

Then, as suddenly as his thought had come, it vanished like vapor.

He snorted.

Why was he supposed to care whether other _humans_ liked his actions or not? He had his immortal, new life now. He wanted to live differently.

Starting now.

He would see Natalie, and then get back to his ship, and obey Sidorio. Everything would remain the same.

He wished if all of it could happen though. Natalie was an enemy to his crew mates, to his Captain. What he dreamed of could never happen. It was all his fantasy.

His sixth sense told that he would never find Natalie tonight. He would wander aimlessly, and then sail back to his ship, if he could find it before dawn, which he wasn't likely to find that early anyway.

Stukeley heard a gentle sloshing noise; some one was rowing towards him. He pushed himself up, letting his senses other than sight find out who the new comer was.

Sharp smell. A bit like cologne.

Stukeley couldn't believe it.

"Kenyon?" he called out in the darkness.

What was Kenyon doing here, following him?

"Yeah, it's me, Stukeley", came a quiet reply from somewhere nearby. "Mind if I join you?"

"I…" Stukeley was still surprised to find Kenyon. But he knew he should be careful. Why would a comrade follow him? Perhaps Sidorio sent a spy to observe him? If so, then Stukeley would find great difficulties, shaking him off his trail."…Yeah. Jump in".

the ship slightly wobbled as Kenyon put in his feet noiselessly. Stukeley made some room for him.

"What about your ship?', Stukeley wanted to know, as he now saw Kenyon's dark little ship bobbing up and down in water now that its passenger had left it alone.

Their ship stabled immediately.

"You're wondering why I'm here", Kenyon began, unusually a little breathless.

"Of course. Explain, if you please"

"Stukeley, you mustn't go back", Kenyon's grey eyes bore into his.

"Go back where?"

"Back to our ship", Kenyon replied, then tore his pale eyes away from Stukeley's, staring at something very far away.

"Hey, why not? It's my home", Stukeley protested.

Kenyon laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezed it for a moment, and then slid his hand away. It was white and deadly cold.

"Now's not the time", he sighed. "What we should worry about is that we should take some cover. Any second now, they'll discover that I've ran away from the ship. C'mon, hurry, let's get out of here".

"But why? I can't take cover without seeing N-", Stukeley caught himself before he could slip the whole thing up. Perhaps Kenyon _was _a spy. He needed to be careful right now.

Even though his face was turned away, Stukeley could see a little smile playing on Kenyon's lips.

"I know why you left tonight, Stukeley", he replied. "I can read your mind".

"Huh?"

"I know it's a rare ability among our kind, but I guess I kind of developed it", Kenyon admitted shyly.

"How can you develop it?" Stukeley asked curiously.

Kenyon shook his head.

"Let's go now", he urged, still smiling that awfully irritating and sly smile.

Stukeley gazed at Kenyon for a moment.

"Are you sure that Captain didn't send you after me?" he asked suspiciously. Kenyon didn't _look_ like a traitor. But he could never trust someone who he'd known for such a short time. Stukeley didn't even know anything about Kenyon at all.

Years of his trained pirate life had taught him that. Always search for an answer in your enemy's eyes. His or her eyes would never lie to you unless you don't know how to read them.

As far as his instincts told him, Stukeley was stuck with Kenyon and he had to trust him.

"But why'd you run away?" Stukeley finally asked.

If Kenyon didn't answer his question, then Stukeley couldn't trust him at all. So far, Kenyon hadn't answered a single question.

"Because", Kenyon began resolutely."Sidorio and his crew are using you. They want you to actually _go_ to her so that when they attack the _Nocturne,_ you'd be there, ready to take on the girl, to take her away which would prevent her from getting killed during the fight".

Stukeley tried to clear his head.

It had to be a lie. Why would they use him? _Blood Captain_ was more or less a home to him. A heavy feeling began at the pit of his stomach.

"What…how could my _family _use me?"

Kenyon didn't answer him at first.

"Come on. I'll tell you when we reach the land".

*

Blackness seemed to weigh down upon her.

Her upper jaw was sore from all the severe tingling sensation. Her circulatory system seemed to dry out, leaving nothing behind except solid crusted veins.

She felt thirsty. She'd never felt that thirsty before. The pain was an endless blur of black agony.

What she needed…was…water?

Her thoughts were sluggish now. So thick and jumbled up that her mind couldn't sort them out anymore.

All she knew was that she needed some kind of…liquid…water? No?

But then what?

The answer was already there for her, only that she didn't want to think about it.

She needed blood right now. She wanted it badly. If only she knew what was happening to her.

She twisted as her chest caught the fire of pain.

It spread slowly down her spine, then to her legs and arms.

Blood.

She needed it now.

She could kill to get it.

The inner part of Natalie screamed.

_NO! No, what's happening to me? I WON'T kill! I WON'T drink blood!_

Then, suddenly as it had come, it vanished.

It was bliss.

But in another way, it was horror.

Natalie had her arms firmly around something warm-a body, and the way she clung to it, there was proof that she'd done what she never wanted to do. What terrified her...

_Oh, no…_

_Oh, please no…_

Who was her first victim? Natalie hoped it wasn't Darcy.

Then an internal fire inside her lit, licking her insides. It was pain again.

Now she wanted to stop.

The blood wouldn't stop her terrible thirst anymore.

She pushed the warm body away, coughing, sending a spray of blood all over the deck.

Her insides hurled.

What had she done? What had she done?

Natalie had committed a sin. She'd killed…

Natalie raised her head to find a pale face infront of her. She couldn't recognize it but those eyes…she'd seen them somewhere, a long time ago.

The handsome, pale man gently wiped the blood off her face with a handkerchief.

Natalie's senses dissolved. Only her sight remained. It seemed as if she'd tuned out all the voices.

Then, her lips moved.

"Father?" she whispered.

----------------------- __________________ ----------------- ________________-----------

_The usual…R&R!_


	16. Chapter 16

…_.no comments this time…well maybe._

_Anyone likes the story WAKE by Lisa ?_

_……………..,,,,,………………………..…….._

Grace shook Connor awake.

"Huh? He's bleeding…get someone quick", he muttered in his sleep and turned his back to his sister.

"Connor!" Grace shook him harder.

She had sneaked into his dormitory. Grace wasn't even sure yet why she was here.

"Yeah…Grace? What's happened?" Connor opened his eyes to find her standing over him, her hair ruffled by the night's wind. She looked somewhat excited.

"They're coming for me! Come on, get up, you sleepy head!", she said, and tried to pull him up in a sitting position and succeed with an effort. Boy, he sure was heavy!

Connor's eyes were puffy from the sleep and his head felt heavy.

"Whaa?" he asked, confused.

"I dreamed that the Vampirates are coming from me!" Grace told him." I packed up and I'm going to wait for them. They've found the Captain".

"Right…ok, I'll get dressed. Wait outside for me", Connor yawned widely, nodding at Grace.

Twenty minutes later, both of them stood in the harbor. Grace was sitting on top of her suitcase, while Connor stood infront of her, still puffy eyed and tired.

"But-I don't understand, Gracie", Connor finally yawned." Why do you have to wake me up in the middle of the night?"

"To make you dance ", Grace replied."I already told you. And you know I can't leave the academy without informing you; you'd go nuts if I did".

"But _come on_!" Connor said wearily." How can you still dream about them?"

Grace didn't reply, but kept gazing at the low crescent, which casted a mellow silvery color on the sea's calm ripples.

"You know why", she replied after a long silence.

"Maybe not", Connor retorted.

"Connor, I just need to get back there, okay?" Grace said. "I still am connected to that ship. We both are, even though you still don't want…"

She sighed then continued.

"Look, it isn't our fault that our father happened to be Sidorio", she said.

"I hate him. He isn't my father at all", Connor replied angrily.

"Shush up", Grace said. "You don't want the whole academy to know that we're here, do you? If you want to stay then go. I already told you that I'm going to the _Nocturne"._

After ten minutes, the ship finally arrived and Connor followed Grace aboard.

"So when are we going to meet now?" Connor asked.

Grace shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll meet you unexpectedly like this time", she stepped forward and hugged him tightly." Stay safe, will you?"

"But you don't get swords slice through your body everyday", Connor grinned.

"Connor!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm kidding"

"Alright then. But do tell Cheng-Li why I left, okay? I think I owe her something"

"Great", he rolled his eyes.

"Grace!" another voice yelled from somewhere up.

Connor looked up to see Lorcan sliding down the strange sails and riggings of the ship. He landed cleanly to his feet and rushed to meet the twins.

"You got our message!", Lorcan said, taking Grace into his arms.

"Yeah, I did", Grace said. "But how did you do that? I mean, it's never happened to me before"

"Well, its Mosh Zu's work", he said quickly. "He taught the Captain how to do it"

He let go of her and shook Connor's hand, beaming.

Tonight, Connor noticed that his eyes were even brighter than before. They looked-_odd._

*

Natalie's face was wet with tears.

She didn't bother to wipe them, but instead, leaned on the rail, her head bowed.

She saw the Tempest twins get on, and talk. Then Lorcan joined them.

The girl-Grace was of normal height, with long, auburn hair and bright green eyes. Natalie's senses seemed sharper than before, now that she'd drunk blood. Her _father's_ blood.

Vivian had seemed confused at first, when she'd called him her father, but then a look of recognition had slid over his face. And then he'd got up and left at lightening bolt speed.

Natalie had felt confused and angry since then. If he was her father then why had he ran away?

Now, as she saw the twins and Lorcan talk, she was over-whelmed by a bitter emotion.

She was never going to have a family. Atleast the twins had each other. She had no one now. She still didn't counted Raymond in her family.

"Natalie-the girl the Captain talked about that night, you know."

Natalie was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard some one say her name.

"No, no, I don't really know her", she heard Grace say, confused.

Natalie sensed Grace's brother glance at her.

Natalie slipped her hand away from the rail and began to walk back towards her cabin. She wasn't in any mood to meet new people right now.

She was almost down there when Lorcan called out to her.

She sighed, and then climbed a few steps back.

"Yeah?" she called.

"Come up here for a second. I'd like you to meet someone", Lorcan said.

Natalie went back, wishing deeply that she should've stayed in her room before.

As she drew nearer, she saw the features of the twins even more clearly.

Grace was tanned mildly, but she was very pretty. She was more pretty than beautiful. The other twin also looked tanned, but cute too.

"Hi", Natalie said. "I'm Natalie Velde".

"Hi", Grace replied, taking her hand in hers and shaking it." Nice to meet you, Natalie. I'm Grace Tempest".

"I know you already", Natalie replied, smiling.

Grace was only a few inches smaller than her and she seemed nice.

Her twin brother, on the other hand, was lean and tall.

"Hey", Grace's brother said and shook her hand too, giving her a coy and a little bit mischievous smile. "I'm Connor".

Natalie noticed the miss-match socks pulled hastily on Connor's feet.

He sure had dressed very, very quickly.

"I hope you're adjusted here", Grace said.

"I'm just starting to get adjusted. I arrived a few days ago", Natalie told her.

"You're a new vampire?" Connor asked.

Grace looked at Lorcan for a moment. Apparently, it seemed that Grace knew about her but Connor didn't.

Natalie shook her dark head and said before anyone else could start,"no. I'm a half-vampire".

Connor's eyes widened with surprise.

"Really?", he exclaimed. "Then you're just like us!".

"Huh?"

"Well", Grace said. ", It's a long, long story if you ask me".

"But it's still cool to have someone like _us_", Connor protested. "So far, I've heard, no one's like us".

"But she isn't like you guys, Connor", Lorcan pointed out.

Natalie sent him a quizzical look.

"She's more Vampire than a human", Lorcan explained. "Aren't you, Natalie? You survived that Vampirate's bite. Not even Grace can survive our venom without changing a little bit. Who was he again, now?"

"His name's Stukeley", Natalie replied easily. "I don't know whether it's his full name or his last but everyone called him Stukeley. Even their Captain, Sidorio did".

Grace's heart was hammering in her chest.

Connor's face paled to a certain extent, but he sneered suddenly.

"Stukeley?" he repeated, feeling waves of hot anger rolled inside him.

"Yeah", Natalie said, bewildered by the twin's sudden change of expression.

"His full name's Jez Stukeley", Connor told her. "He was one of my best mates before he died and allied with Sidorio".

"Not to mention that Sidorio's their father", Lorcan said, his tone was flat.

"You've survived something alright. I'm glad you managed through it", Grace said, her face showing her sorrow.

"But how can't she be like us?", Connor inquired.

"Because", Natalie said suddenly, bowing down her head. "I was reborn through lightening and thunder. I'm altogether a new species of Vampirates, Connor Tempest".

))))))*

Stukeley's eye opened to reveal that he was in an unfamiliar room…it was so bare. He blinked his eyes, his pupils large in the darkness. He yawned, and then stretched.

At first, he didn't recognize the room. But then the last night's memory filled his mind and he understood.

He and Kenyon had taken shelter last night in a small, abandoned hut. The hut had only one bare room. So he and Kenyon had jumped on the opportunity and rested there in day.

Now, as dusk settled, Stukeley's eyes searched for his comrade.

Kenyon was no where to be seen.

Dread washed over Stukeley. He felt stupid now, that he'd come with Kenyon. Who knew what he was thinking? Kenyon had admitted that he could read his mind and he knew why Stukeley had actually left his ship. No way could Kenyon be a traitor…

But again, who knew?

Stukeley got up from the bare floor and dusted himself. He could smell earth on himself. His shirt was open and dirty. He didn't bother to close the buttons right then.

He needed to see if Kenyon was a spy or not. If he _was_; then Stukeley had to run for it.

_Reckless_, Stukeley thought angrily._ You've been stupid to trust him._

Sighing, he soundlessly slipped past the broken door and into the night.

The air smelled musty.

Stukeley wrinkled his nose, and kept moving through the silent forest like a shadow.

An intense fire burned inside him, angrily trying to eat up his insides. Another flame; different than the first one, burned his veins.

He needed to feed. He wanted to feed right now.

He had no idea where he was, or even why he was there. Only the hunger remained as his only sense.

His eyes had irises of fire. Molten lava of an immediate need.

He reached the sandy shore. If he got lucky, he could get a big dinner tonight.

_Ma Kettle's Tavern_

Yes, that wasn't far from here. He was going to steal one of Ma's pretty serving girls, just like the last time.

He trooped towards the place.

***

Ten minutes later, he swam in the water near the tavern. Neon light casted strange shadows on the water. It felt so eerie. He dipped in the water as a mob of pirates went in, hooting and whistling. Stukeley smiled to himself. Once, he used to be with his ex-crew, doing all sorts of goofy things.

Slowly and quietly, he came out of the water, bone-dry as ever.

He slid past the building, towards the back.

From there, he gently eased the door open and slipped inside. It was a small store-room.

Rows upon rows of bottles were set in straight lines, dusty; some bottles' labels were even age-worn. What he knew for sure that he'd never been in here before. He'd never even _heard_ of this place.

Stukeley was careful not to break or let anyone of them fall.

The dust and other spicy sweet smells irritated his sensitive nose but he kept going on. Hunger drove him on.

Suddenly, the door of the room swung open and a girl in an apron rushed in, yelling over her shoulder:

"Alright! I got that!"

She had golden-blonde hair, glossy and sleek. Her skin wasn't pale, infact; it looked a little bit tanned.

"Sugar Pie", Stukeley whispered.

Of course, he's recognized her immediately. She served for Ma Kettle, and was the most popular waitress in the whole pirate world.

Stukeley slipped further into the shadows, careful not to make a single noise.

Sugar Pie's steps echoed into the dusty room.

She walked past his hiding place, took out a huge wine bottle and started towards the door where she'd come from.

Stukeley let out a sigh of relief.

How funny. He used to fight for the human's attention. Now, she was just-too plain for him.

From half across the room, Sugar pie suddenly stopped.

Stukeley's muscles tensed. Something wasn't-it didn't seemed right-

Sugar Pie's whole body stiffened.

Her eyes flashed red-in the darkness.

_What the hell?_, Stukeley thought.

Sugar Pie was not a human.

She was something else.

"Ma?", she called. "Someone's in here!".

…………..………….……………….……………………....

_If you guys have accounts on facebook then find me._

_My name's Saleha Kamran._

_Anyhow, hope ya all likey moi chapter. It's not much but I think it'll do for da mo ;)_


	17. Chapter 17

_I like to thank the reviewers for all their kind words._

_**Ashton:**__ who are you? You talk like someone familiar._

_Oh, yeah, guys, I'm personally comfortable when Connor's the important twin (Hell, of course it is!) _

_So…shall we continue with our story?_

……_.………………..……………..……..………..….._

Stukeley's breath stopped. How did she know?

But he couldn't possibly consider thinking at the moment. He needed to escape immediately. If Sugar Pie wasn't that strange then he'd be happy to drink her up tonight. But it felt strange to drink another vampire's blood.

Stukeley edged towards the back door.

In front of him, Ma Kettle, a busty woman trotted in. She was flushed.

"What is it, Sugar?" she demanded. "You've been acting weird all day".

"Some one's in here", Sugar Pie whispered. She turned and looked directly towards the place where Stukeley hid.

"There", she said quietly, her voice toneless. "I heard someone sigh over there".

_Way to go, Stukeley._

Stukeley pushed the boxes away as he slid away from the women, his motions fluid-like.

"Why, yes, some one's in here", Ma Kettle said, astonished.

Stukeley was only a feet away from the door when the boxes behind him were dragged aside. Then he made a run for it. He didn't know why he couldn't seem to attack them, but it didn't really matter at the moment.

"There!" Sugar Pie yelled.

Stukeley snarled his upper lip curling up to reveal his pointed teeth as they shone the torch in his eyes. That light blinded him.

Anger throbbed in Stukeley's body.

Ma Kettle opened her mouth in a wordless scream. But Sugar Pie didn't. she smiled a frightening smile.

"So, it was you", she hissed.

She eased the torch down. Then turned sharply to her left. Ma Kettle wasn't so fast. Sugar Pie dug her elbow in her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Ma Kettle was thrown off her feet, slammed into a shelf full of bottles and slid down, unconscious.

Sugar Pie kicked at a box at her feet. It flew too, and crashed into another shelf. The whole frame groaned and broke, blocking the door way.

"Now it's just you and me", Sugar Pie said, smiling her most attractive smile.

Stukeley didn't understand. What had happened here? First, she called Ma then knocked her unconscious?

Stukeley wasn't frozen for an instant. His hand met the door handle.

"So, tell me, Jez Stukeley, how long have you been a vampire? We were all so sad about you dying and here you are, ready to drink some blood from one of us again?" she whipped away an imaginary tear.

"I don't know what you're talking about", Stukeley scowled. "And what did you do?"

"Oh, I didn't know it was you so I called her because I didn't saw you first. Anyhow, I know how to make some places more _private_", Sugar Pie said sweetly.

Stukeley didn't like the sloppy tone of her voice nor her unexpected attitude.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing special…" Sugar Pie crooned. "I Just want a little payment for breaking in my territory".

***

Natalie yawned widely, and leaned against the wall of the feast room. it had been going on for hours. She was so sleepy that she could've slept right there and then, but the hungry glances of some vampires creeped her out.

Raymond was in a far corner, talking to another tall, golden-skinned vampire.

Grace sat beside Lorcan, talking quietly. Most of the other vampires were in their cabins, 'sharing' blood with their donors, as Raymond described it.

Natalie couldn't see her father anywhere. Oh, well.

Why she was still stuck in the middle of vampire discussions. She was drifting off again when someone touched her shoulder.

Natalie jerked out of her sleep.

"Yeah?" she muttered.

"Are you tired? Should I assort you back to your room?" a soft, nervous voice asked.

Natalie turned to find Grace standing there, her hand on Natalie's shoulder.

"Yes, that would be…great", Natalie replied, drowsy and terribly heavy headed.

Grace led her out of the room and onto the cold, salty night air of the deck. Wind sapped at their faces and whipped at their hair.

"Um…I don't know how to say this but…" Grace began hesitantly.

Of course, she wouldn't come out here to assort Natalie back without any reason. No one was that nice.

Natalie raised my luminous eyes, searching her face.

There was nothing in her expression. It was blank.

"Yeah?"

"Well…I want to know that…I'm only curious that why did they kept you alive on there"

"I wish I knew…though I still think Stukeley knew", Natalie replied.

"He must've been brutal to you", Grace whispered, eyeing my neck suddenly. Her expression was soft, caring, and friendly.

"Stukeley? No! He was…more strange than cruel", she replied, surprised.

"You mean that Jez was _nice_ to you?" Grace stared at me, open mouthed.

"Uh, yea"

"He bit you, right?"

"Right"

"But didn't kill you".

"Because he was on Sidorio's orders. He wasn't even supposed to bite me".

"Well, he turned a traitor when he became an immortal"

"How do you know him?"

"He was one of Connor's best friends. You know that. But when he died a needless death, Sidorio brought him back. Since then, he's loyal to him as a son would be", Grace retorted, frowning slightly. Natalie noticed that frowning didn't suit Grace's fine features at all.

We kept silent for a moment. Natalie's sleep had drifted away. But it was replaced by a mild, but familiar tingling sensation in her upper jaw.

"I think I should go sleep now", she said, afraid that she might hurt her new friend.

"Wait", Grace said quickly. "Can I ask one more question?"

"Sure"

"Can you come out in daylight like me?"

"I don't know. I haven't really tried", Natalie said.

"Well", Grace said. "We should try it soon, shouldn't we?"

"Of course. I don't want to be stuck in the dark forever", she replied, and couldn't help returning Grace's smile.

_Only if her wish had come true._

_She didn't know that._

Raymond caught up with Natalie when she reached her room.

"Hey", he said softly.

"Hi", Natalie said, her hand on the door's knob.

"You tired already?" Raymond asked.

"Yeah. I'm dog-tired, Ray", she yawned widely." Even though I haven't done anything since I arrived here".

"Yeah", he grinned, one corner of his mouth curling more than the other. It was a funny kind of smile, which can make you smile back.

"Hey", he said gently. "Do you feel alright? You're pale"

"Yes", Natalie replied, surprised by the sudden change of her brother's tone. Well, he was more a half-brother to her.

Ray moved close, his eyes narrowing.

"Are you hungry?" he guessed.

Natalie held her breath for a moment. She wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that.

But she knew. Her vampire part craved for fresh blood while her human part felt revulsion for it.

"I don't really know. There's sort of tingling in my upper canine teeth", she finally replied thoughtfully, biting her lip.

"Where?"

"Here", she touched the sharp tooth gingerly with the tip of her finger. A sharp pain, followed by a tiny puncture in her skin. Natalie cried out, pulling her finger away and staring at it. A single, deep crimson drop of blood sat there, over the wound like a ruby bead.

But there was no pain. Only numbness.

Natalie stared at her finger for a moment. She looked up when she saw Ray move. Her instinct told her to run. She'd made a huge mistake. But Ray wasn't in any mood to drink it. Instead, he reached for something in his pocket and pulled out a tissue paper. He quickly wrapped it around her finger, staunching it gently, like a bandage.

"You should be careful, you know", he muttered. "if someone will catch the scent of your blood then you're toast".

Natalie stared up at him, too confused and stunned to speak.

"Surprised, eh? Well, I'm quite resistant to your blood so I can control myself", he gave her an assuring smile.

"But you---", she stopped as she heard footsteps echo from the other end of the corridor.

Some one had smelled her blood after all.

………**

_So sorry for the delay, guys, I'm having flu these days! Anyhow, I don't know when I'll update next. It may take more time than this. Thanks-any comment, suggestion, criticism…just review!_


	18. Chapter 18

_The last chapter was pretty lousy-which is the truth. Anyhow, we continue our adventure…_

_……..……..…….……………….……..……….….._

Stukeley's eyes opened up for a fraction. It was dark, and the gentle sloshing of waves touched his bare ankles, as if tickling him, then immediately flowing back as if afraid he might rage over them. Even the ocean's waves were mischievous. White sand covered him head to foot.

Stukeley gazed at the moon for a moment, and then closed his eyes, confused.

What had just happened? He didn't know. All he could remember was Sugar Pie walking closer towards him and then everything going black. He couldn't have fainted. Vampires didn't faint. That was for sure. Sugar Pie was strange. He couldn't put her in humans' category, or in vampires'. God knew what that creature was. Stukeley didn't linger over that problem for long. What concerned him the most was that how long had he been out cold? Had someone saw him?

Suddenly, Stukeley heard soft footsteps approaching him-passing through the wet sand. He tried to get up but his arms gave way and he landed on his back again. Wind felt nice on his wet face.

"Hi there", a soft voice said. "You alright?"

Stukeley tilted his head up to see Kenyon's grey eyes staring at him, confused.

"No", Stukeley replied. "I _think_ I just got knocked _out _by a girl…help me up will you?"

"Yeah, sure", Kenyon grasped his icy hand and hauled him to his feet. Stukeley found him snicker.

"What?" he demanded. He wobbled a bit, atleast his legs were more stable than his arms.

A glint of silver touched his companion's eye and he grinned at Stukeley's glare.

"Knocked out by a _girl?_" he asked, astonished. Then he burst out laughing. Stukeley had never seen him laugh before. It was a warm laugh-if some one heard it first, they wouldn't even think he wasn't a human. It belonged to an ecstatic human. Not a lethal Vampirate.

"Hey, I'm deeply offended", Stukeley said. "It wasn't an ordinary girl!"

"What was she? A Loch Ness monster? Well, buddy, I hardly believe your _luck_".

"_No. _She was something-but not a vampire", Stukeley told him.

"C'mon, let's get out of here", Kenyon said, abruptly stopped laughing, his eyes growing solemn again.

What a moody person. He'd probably fed a few minutes ago.

Kenyon dragged Stukeley in the cover of the close-growing clump of coconut trees and narrowed his eyes Stukeley.

"Tell me what happened, please", he asked quietly.

"I went down to Ma Kettle's", Stukeley told him. "You know the place, right?"

"Yeah. Who doesn't?"

"Well, I sneaked into one of the storage rooms. Then Sugar Pie came in," Stukeley said, explaining anyway. He wondered how old Kenyon was, because, if he was young, he might've known him in his human life. "You know the really pretty one with all the blonde hair. She called Ma and then smashed her into one of the shelves. I-we talked for a bit. It was then I realized that she wasn't human. I always thought human girls can't be that beautiful".

He took a breath and continued.

"Well, she wanted payment for…I don't…remember what. And then everything blacked out".

_Here you are. Now if you think you're that smart, try explaining this,_ he thought nastily.

"I don't understand", Kenyon said, frowning.

"If you were in that storage room with the girl, then how come you ended up at the shore?"

"That's what I was trying to figure out when you came skipping along to laugh at me", Stukeley snapped.

Whoa. He sure had a temper these days! Stukeley felt a wave of guilt. Why was he so edgy? Kenyon hadn't deliberately done any harm to him other than making his short leave a permanent disappearance on his ship. His home.

"It's not safe here either", Kenyon moaned softly.

"Huh?"

"We belong to the sea, mate. We must return back".

"Excuse-"

Kenyon grabbed Stukeley's shirt and tugged it towards him, with inhuman strength.

"Listen to me. We have to go back to _the Nocturne_. At least I belong there!"

"Are you saying that we must find it? Well, Kenyon, I don't think you read my mind clearly. I've jumped away from my home to find that ship! To find the girl who made me restless! Stop freaking out, will you? I want to find her. I…tortured her. I want to…apologize to her!" Stukeley yelled.

"Calm down!" Kenyon hissed.

Stukeley sighed.

Kenyon laid a hand on his shoulder, thumping him.

"I know how you---feel. Just don't yell. Let's start our search for that ship. We have to make her leave it. Captain's planning a sort of ambush. She'll get killed".

Kenyon removed his hand and walked away from him.

""We need a boat. Transportation", he called over his shoulder. "I saw it a moment ago. Follow me".

Stukeley sighed, feeling his fangs with his tongue as he followed quietly, thinking.

He hadn't fed. Maybe they'd grab something-someone before boarding it.

He absorbed his anger, relaxing his tensed body. Easy….

Suddenly, he wasn't Stukeley at all. He felt as if sunlight filled his every vein. It didn't burn him, but it felt quite pleasant. It soothed his absorbed anger…took him away from the present into the past.

_He was Jez again. He was laughing, slapping high fives with Bart, Connor joined in, joking along._

Stukeley shook his head.

Now that was strange. Usually his human memories were so faded that they weren't that bright or clearer. But this one was. It marked the change of the tide which bore his weight, carried him towards his unknown destination.

It was another turn of his life. Another change in him.

_Natalie. You changed me quite a lot. I'm glad of that._

Stukeley smiled softly. Kenyon wouldn't see it the way he did. Kenyon was probably right. Sidorio and his fearsome crew were the creatures from hell. Even he was too. But he now knew what he should've seen before. He had also betrayed the Vampirates on the _Nocturne._ As far as he knew, he'd betrayed everyone.

He was all alone.

Yet, a small smile played on his pale lips.

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**Author's Note:**

_Guys…so I thought I could move on to the future. There isn't anything left in the present. Stukeley's begun his search for the only girl who had the power to bring him back to the good side._

_Let's put our hands together and cry for the miracle^^_

_U_

_Haha, I'm joking. Let's get this over with._

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**THREE YEARS LATER…**

Natalie was laughing.

"Okay, okay, I give. Stop tickling me, Ray!"

That made his brother tickle her even more. Natalie was laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes.

"Ah, you little devil, I know you too well to let go!", Ray announced. Natalie's blue-green eyes flashed and she grabbed his wrist in light's speed. She'd learned a lot since her arrival on the ship. She was more vampire than human now, and was even quicker than a vampire.

Natalie had long since accepted her doomed destiny and had even mourned over it, but now she felt fine. The ship was such a warmer, friendlier place than her human home. The Vampirate Captain was a kind man and was a discipline-lover. His crew was the same.. No one knew what had become of Sidorio's _Blood Captain._ He and his crew had been awfully quiet since the past three years. Natalie rarely thought of them anyway.

Natalie was surprised that she'd felt so helpless in this place. Raymond and Grace were her closest and best friends. Even Lorcan and Darcy were fun to hang around with.

Natalie had a donor of her own now, but she rarely drank his blood. That made him the healthiest Donor aboard. Natalie had become a star on the ship since she'd arrived there. Darcy had tagged her along to sing with her. Darcy had a wonderful voice. Natalie felt embarrassed to sing but her friends insisted that her voice would grow even more beautiful as she aged.

It had.

She slept very little. Natalie hung out with the donors at day, slept through the evening and then stayed up all night. The Captain had explained that she had a very unusual circle of sleep. Secretly, Natalie agreed. She hated to sleep. It made her slow and lazy.

Connor, Grace's twin brother, visited his sister now and then. Sometimes Grace would leave for several days and then come back from Cheng-Li's ship (Cheng-Li was Connor's ship's Captain. Natalie didn't know the name of that ship). Connor visited the ship more. He was very funny in her opinion. Natalie and Connor had also become good friends. The reason for this was that Natalie was interested in sword-fighting (She was very fast) and Connor was an expert. Grace hated swords.

Lorcan always snickered when Grace made a face whenever she saw swords. Their friend-ship had increased and both were seventeen. Grace was thinking about stop aging herself somehow. She'd consulted Mosh Zu for that. Mosh Zu was a vampire guru.

He'd recommend something to her, which had stopped her aging further. Connor, on the other hand, and no intension of doing it. He was revolted of the idea, just like Natalie was.

"Hey, Earth to Natalie" Ray said, grinning. "In what deepest, darkest thoughts are you in, Lass?"

Lass was her new nickname and she hated it.

"I'm not gonna answer you if you call me that", Natalie said, then burst out laughing as Ray tickled her again.

"I'm winning", he warned teasingly.

"No you're not", she replied. "You think that tickling me will make me lose and sing tonight at the Feast"

"If I win, that is. You _just_ said I give!" Ray retorted, now laughing as Natalie tickled him back. He sure was ticklish for a vampire.

He grabbed her wrists and pushed her back, grinning widely.

"You'll never win, Lass", Ray said. "I'm the vampire here"

Grace poked her head in Ray's cabin.

"Hey, you two, can I come in?" she said.

"It's Ray's room", Natalie told her friend. "And the entry's free!"

"Not for girls, that is", Ray said mildly, and then he smiled.

Grace walked in. she was _so_ used to this!

"You guys playing the tickle fight again?" she asked.

"And I win this time. Sister, you are such a loser", Ray said to Natalie, sitting back. "I'm so ashamed to be your brother".

"Shut up", Natalie said, signaling him telepathically to leave. Ray understood her actions too well.

Ray stood up. "I'll see tonight, then, Lass".

He flashed out of the room to the nearly dark deck above.

"So", Grace said. "Did he win? Are you going to sing?"

Natalie sighed.

"Yeah but…" she began.

Grace Tempest had grown. Her hair hung past her shoulders and her smooth skin was pale, but her cheeks were flushed. Her green eyes weren't luminous like Natalie, but they had a different light of their own. She was tall like her brother but shorter than him like Natalie. Grace was very stunning, in human and vampire standards. Her nature matched her name.

"No buts this time, Nat", she protested. "_Please_? You sing so well. Even Darcy agrees to it"

"No", Natalie said. "I won't. I hate to sing infront of the crowd. I'm shaking in my sneakers up there!"

"Then you should shut your eyes too", Grace suggested.

"I'll look stupid", Natalie protested.

"Oh, I'm no good at persuading you, Natalie Velde. I'll take you to Darcy", Grace said. "Because if you don't sing tonight, you're never going to grow bold. Besides, Darcy isn't going to sing tonight anyway".

"Oh no" Natalie moaned as Grace tugged her out of the room. "Come on, now, Lass".

They bumped into Darcy as she emerged from around a corridor, carrying a huge pile of dresses.

"Darcy!" Grace exclaimed.

"Oops", Natalie said as the clothes in Darcy's arms tumbled out and fell into a heap on the floor.

"Well, now, I've always said that---", Darcy began in her cockney accent.

"-Not to rush. It's un lady-like", Grace and Natalie completed in unison.

"Yes", Darcy said cheerily as she scooped up the clothes as they helped her. "So where you two are headed off to in such a hurry?"

"To find you", Grace said hastily. She grabbed Natalie's cold hand to stop her from escaping.

Natalie groaned.

"She said she won't sing", Grace complained. "Tell her that it's her turn tonight".

Darcy's eye-brows shot up.

"Well, it _is _your turn tonight, Natalie", Darcy said. "Oh, do come and look. I've got fabulous dresses for you to choose from!"

Grace didn't like Darcy's style at all.

Natalie sometimes did.

"Uh", Natalie said. "Alright. Grace, come on, help me then". Natalie smiled devilishly.

"I hate clothes" she muttered under her breath.

"I know. But help me out anyway", Natalie said.

Natalie felt uneasy. She dreaded the night infront of her, as if she knew what was going to happen.

But of course she didn't know.

………..…………..……….……………………………….

_The next chapter will begin with Stukeley._


	19. Chapter 19

_I promised that this chapter will start with Stukeley. He's not the same Stukeley we knew. _

_I felt a little uneasy when I thought of him this way so,_

_**Disclaimer: I DONOT own Vampirates. Every character belongs to Justin Somper (Except the ones I invented of course) **_

_So nobody here can say that I STOLE his STORY (wish I could do that somehow without being caught i.e. using magic which I can't do because I'm not a witch._

_Another thing is that the song in this chapter is really cool ad I love the singer. She's one of my very favorite Artists. So enjoy!_

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The floor boards didn't even creak as the tall, very good-looking stranger came up on the deck of the ship. The night was starry and cool because of the November wind. The waters looked ice-cool, which didn't really affect the stranger at all. The stranger took off his clean, white sleeveless shirt and his hard-soled shoes. The night seemed perfect and he couldn't deny that he wanted to miss this opportunity. Besides, it was hard to break his old habit. The waves were perfect, even though the stranger's senses couldn't detect any sign of the approaching storm. The stranger grabbed a slim wooden surf-board and jumped down the deck into the depth of the inky-black waters, somersaulting as he dived.

He was in the water before any one could see him.

The stranger grabbed the board he'd let go as he'd jumped and now climbed on it, putting his entire weight on the flimsy piece of wood. It took no more than a little strategy and talent and he was in the waves, surfing in the cold night. The water was cold-but just the right temperature for his inhuman body. The stranger was no on his feet, crouched slightly, to gain his balance.

Yes. It was ecstatic, almost as if running on water. He could do it though, without the help of waves. He had speed. Such Speed that not even an immortal possessed because of his constant growing powers. He'd been surprised when someone had told him this because there was actually no reason for this.

But maybe he had. Who knew? This world was filled with mystery. His own body still had so much mystery that it sometimes baffled him.

Like now.

A soft music started to play in the back of his mind. he sometimes heard it, sometimes he didn't. He really loved the voice that followed it. It seemed like his conscience or maybe his imagination. The soft notes of piano soothed him-like they always did.

_I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears_

_And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave_

_Your presence still lingers here and it won't leave me alone…_

The stranger sighed as he heard the voice, and then swam his way back to his ship. He saw a ladder hanging down he gripped it in one hand, while the other wrapped securely around his board. As soon as he emerged from the water, his skin and pants were dry. Not even a drop remained.

The stranger threw his board up on the deck with a burst of energy and then heaved himself up as if he had no weight at all.

"Back so soon, Stukeley?"

Jez Stukeley looked up to see who had spoken. He knew who'd spoken anyway so he hadn't really had the need to look up. He was startled, that was all, because he hadn't expected Kenyon to be up here tonight at all. Then he frowned.

"I told you to call me by my first name", He said half-seriously, giving in to Kenyon's goofy grin.

"Oops", his mate said, grinning, which was pretty unusual for him. Kenyon hardly smiled. "Sorry, Jez. It still _seems_ weird"

"Three long years and you _still_ think my first name's weird?" Jez said, bewildered. "Man, you're crueler than my mum".

Kenyon laughed quietly for a moment, and then got his calm, quiet mask back on his face. They were sort of brothers now, because they knew each other perfectly.

"They didn't get knew donors for us", Kenyon told him, his face sober.

"How come?"

"They couldn't seem to make them agree I think they…"

Kenyon's voice tuned out of his head as Jez's mind clouded over.

…_These wounds won't seem to heal; this pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase…_

Ah.

The song filled his head again so he raised a hand to silence Kenyon up for a moment.

"What?"

Jez smiled softly.

"There's the voice again. One of my favorite songs, listen".

Kenyon frowned, opening up his mind to sense Jez's. His grey eyes were completely black, like a black hole, absorbing the voice. He did that frequently, and ordinarily, that would bug Jez to death (But he couldn't die of course; he was already dead) but Kenyon was just as mystified to the voice as the other Vampirate was. Together, they listened intently.

_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me_

Jez whistled.

"Wonder where this's comin' from", Kenyon said.

"Yeah", Jez agreed.

_You used to captivate me by your resonating light_

_Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind_

_Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams_

_Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me_

"Well…how could one be sane if they hear singing in their head all the time?" Kenyon asked quizzically.

"Beats me. I'm not sane. I'm actually going mental past these years, without the efficient amount of blood", Jez replied.

They waited for the song to finish but it abruptly stopped as it had begun. The Vampirates tried to clear their muddled thoughts.

"That's new", Jez said, rubbing his temples gingerly, as if they'd pain him.

"How come?"

"That never happened before. The…singer stopped so suddenly this time. Wonder what's wrong", Jez replied.

"Maybe something's wrong with _you,_ Radar Man"

…..…..…………….…….…….……………..….

Okay. Calm down, girl, you're NOT shy.

This's it. This's it. This's it….

Oh, shut up.

Natalie struggled with herself as she slipped into the slinky, silky black dress Darcy had lended her. For once, Darcy had just the right clothes. But Natalie had absolutely no desire to wear them. Waves over waves of dizziness hit her. This wasn't ordinary. Her stomach felt rigid-tight as if she was about to throw up.

Worst of all, she felt sick.

"C'mon, Gracie, she'll be surprised!" said a high, cheery voice, just outside her cabin's door. Then someone knocked.

There were muffled voices coming from the other side of the door.

"I don't really like this idea, Connor", Grace muttered.

Connor was here?

This knowledge gave Natalie another wave of nausea.

"Hey, Nat, you alive in there?" Connor cracked. "Open up and see who's here!"

Dizzy. She was so dizzy. What was happening to her?

The floor lurched sickeningly, and Natalie lost her balance. With a moan, she fell onto the bed covers, clutching her head. Ooh, this was so sick.

The knock on the door was insistent now. Grace was also yelling outside.

"I'm fine", Natalie wanted to say but all that came from her dry lips was a croak. Her veins seemed so dry, almost burned up with this strange fire.

Oh. Now she got it. She was thirsty.

The usual thirst of her vampire side. Natalie wasn't careful to feed herself at the right time and then suffered with the results of it because she was more vampire than human in nature.

Shaking from head to toe, she sat up, pushing the hair out of her bright eyes. She sucked in an unsteady breath and began to walk towards the door.

She unlocked it and opened it an inch.

"Nat!", Connor cried out in surprise. "What happened to you?"

Natalie smiled weakly at his tall form, taking in no details of his appearance at the moment. Grace was at his elbow, a worried expression on her face.

"Grace-where is Art?"

Art was Natalie's temporary donor. Natalie didn't even remember his face right now.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Just tell me where he is!"

Grace was pale and Connor was gazing to his sister to Natalie in confusion.

"What's going on?", he demanded.

Natalie stared at Grace and her lips quivered.

"Oh, Natalie, Art ran away from the _Nocturne!"_

"What?" came a voice behind them. "How do you suggest _that_?"

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_Phewwwwwwwwwww. I'm in so much hurry right now. The next chapter will be longer (with more Stukeley) and I'll try so…bye for now!_


	20. Chapter 20

"What?" Lorcan asked, bewildered. "Why're you guys staring at me? I just met Art up on the deck"

Grace exhaled.

"I knew that lunatic was lying", she muttered to herself.

"Lunatic?" Lorcan chuckled. "Gracie, I'm surprised at your vocabulary sometimes"

"Sure you are", Grace rolled her eyes. "I _am_ so surprised", she added dryly.

Natalie's veins were starting to burn now. It was like a curtain catching fire from a candle. It got itchy and suffocating.

Grace glared up at Lorcan, her eye-brows raised. She was still shorter than him.

"Sorry for eavesdropping", he apologized to me sheepishly. "I was just passing when these two starting to rock the whole ship"

"Uh guys", Natalie began. "I really, really need to find Art…"

"Let's go find him", Grace said, already dragging Natalie towards the stairs.

Connor stood where he was. He watched them go and disappear overhead, still chatting.

He shook his head.

"That was bizarre", he commented.

"Things are only starting, Connor", Lorcan said. "You don't know how I spent my life in all the craziness"

"Yeah…besides, this world's crazy", Connor said. "Well, I'll see later"

"You gonna stay here for a while?"

"_Captain_ Cheng-Li's the person to thank"

"She gave you three days"

"Yup"

"Good for you. You'll get time to spend with Grace"

Connor thought he heard a faint note of disappointment in Lorcan's voice and laughed to himself. Guess they had plans and he ruined them.

*******……*******……******……*****))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Natalie was still feeling dizzy when Grace went to search for Art. Natalie leaned on the rail, bending slightly down and closed her eyes. She felt sick. God knew why she had these stupid fits started. Grace and Connor never had them even though all of them where in the same boat.

She opened her eyes and stared at her reflection down below. Small waves broke her reflection and her aquamarine eyes looked unhappy. Her dark hair shimmered in the dim light.

Without knowing it, she began to hum to herself…and suddenly felt better.

"…Forget this life, Come with me…" her voice rose, and she grabbed her head in her pale hands. Her voice got muffled but she continued."… Don't look back you're safe now

Unlock your heart…"

The pain was easing. The tingling lessened. It worked.

"Drop your guard No one's left to stop you" Came a voice behind her. Natalie gasped and turned sharply to find Connor standing a few feet away.

"Connor, you idiot!", she yelled.

"No one ever told me _you _could sing", he noted.

"Well, that's your problem", Natalie told him curtly. "Can't you see I'm trying to feel better here?"

"What happened to you, Nat? You look rotten"

"Thanks a lot. You're _really_ helping me now"

"No, seriously. What happened? It's happened a few times before", Connor said, joining her by the rail. "I mean, you've looked worse in the past"

"It happens to me often", Natalie said. "I happen to get sea-sick once in awhile"

"Trust me; it'll pass", Connor grinned. "C'mon, tell me. I can be like Grace too"

Connor was very convincing though he was far from being like his twin. Natalie found herself telling him why she'd been feeling so down.

Connor was laughing when she stopped.

"What?"

"_That's_ what you were afraid to tell _me_, Lass?"

"Err, yeah"

"You're such a worrier"

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are"

Natalie turned away from him, feeling the nausea coming back. She shut her eyes and started humming again. Loudly.

The nausea didn't pass away this time. she felt dizzier and she realized it was due to Connor.

"Aren't you going to sing again?" Connor asked.

"No", Natalie groaned. "Stop bugging me. I'm sick here"

"Who ever said you weren't so stubborn?" he complained.

"Who ever said that you aren't annoying?" Natalie shot back. "Connor-please-shut up"

Connor did shut up.

"Sorry", he said harshly. "I guess I shouldn't be here anyway, trying to help you chill out".

"Look, please don't take it negatively", Natalie said. "I've been feeling like this since forever. I'm tired and terribly thirsty. Please don't annoy me…I can't control myself if I'm angry. It completely blacks out…you'll never understand"

She sighed.

Connor frowned.

Until now, he'd never even heard that Natalie drank blood. No one even tried to tell him. As far as he was concerned, Natalie was just like him. A half-half combination. He was completely oblivious to the fact that Natalie was more submerged in the darker side, unlike him.

This, of course, didn't help him either. He was curious.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean is that I'm not like you", Natalie said miserably. "I'm more Vampire than human. My nature isn't balanced like yours is"

Connor was quiet for a moment. He swallowed.

"And you…but you can come out in the daylight and…you don't look like a blood-sucker to me", He stuttered. Natalie knew he wasn't thinking.

"You don't know me, that's all", Natalie said stiffly

"I know you now", Connor said softly.

"Oh no, you don't" Natalie said. "Please go away…or atleast do something useful and find Grace"

"Art's your Donor, right?"

"Right"

"Where's he then, if you need him now? Aren't Donors supposed to be attending to the Vampirates' needs?" Connor inquired as he turned, and used the advantage of his height. He scanned the crowded deck. Since the twins had found out that they were half-immortal, no one threatened them to drink there blood anymore. This behavior gave the twins advantage to roam anywhere in the ship.

"I don't know where he is. I don't know where anybody is", Natalie moaned, feeling the lurch again. Her upper teeth tingled and when she swept her tongue over them, they sharpened, delicate and pointed.

"I don't see any human up here-or Grace either", Connor confirmed.

"Well, that's just great", Natalie said, pulling herself away from the rail and walking cautiously across the deck. Connor followed her again.

"Wait, where are you going?" he asked slowly, as if deciding on something.

"I'm going back to my room", she replied. "I won't join the feast either. Tell them for me, okay?"

Connor didn't reply.

Natalie turned to find him squinting at the floorboards, as if he was in deep thought.

"Connor, are you alright?"

"Yeah. 'M fine"

Natalie was at the bottom step of the stairs when Connor suddenly spoke, freezing her to the place.

"Natalie; if I offered you my blood, will you accept it?"

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Jez was leaning over the old maps, tracing a pattern and then frowning. He'd been repeating this gesture for whole fifteen minutes.

The candle in his room was placed very far from his working table. He still hated lighting candles in his cabin and was irritated by its light but he had to admit; he needed to see clearly at the moment. He was concentrating very hard.

About a month ago, a strange man in very simple clothes had told him that there was an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that hadn't been discovered by the humans yet. He's said that the reason his powers were increasing could be found somewhere on that island. Since then, Jez had directed the ship which now he owned, towards the strange island. The stranger had called that island 'the Red Diamond Land'.

Jez didn't know why it was called that because he'd never had an opportunity to ask the gentle stranger. All he knew about him was that the stranger was far from being a human. His words were filled with wisdom and power and Jez was sure as hell that he wasn't the masked Vampirate Captain. Jez filled with shame whenever he thought of the Vampirates he'd betrayed.

Oh, well. He couldn't go back in time to change things anyway. And it wasn't his biggest problem yet. He needed to find out why his powers were pitching up higher. It was due to his powers that the lost vampires had chosen him as their captain. For years, he and Kenyon had helped the lost and hopeless vampires on the land. They'd all agreed to join them in the life of the sea. Most of them were weak and easy to control but three of them were very strong and often caused problems aboard. Kenyon was the Deputy. He'd refused the post of Captain when Jez had tried to reason with him…they needed a calm, quiet and self-controlled Vampirate like Kenyon. Jez could be wild and vicious when he wanted to be.

Jez sighed, and got up. He walked around his Cabin for a moment, stretching his legs. He hadn't heard the mysterious voice since the evening and it was so quiet around here. Jez wished he could listen to the voice now, because sometimes when he was lonely, that voice was the only company.

Jez walked over the small dusty window and pulled the thick drape inches away. It was still night and the sea appeared calm. Too calm. Jez felt unusual tension building up in his chest as he watched the horizon. He had the feeling that he wasn't the only one looking for the 'Red Diamond Island'. He had the feeling that the race of the unknown treasure had started.

Jez pulled the drape securely over the small window. It kept the light out from his room at day-time. Then he plopped down on his bed and blew the candle out.

Instantly, the room went pitch black. Slowly, his vision focused and he was able to see. It was a little bit early to go to sleep, but Jez was alone tonight and he wanted to be unconscious. Kenyon and a few others had gone to the Crescent Moon Bay to find some willing Donors again. Yes, Crescent Moon Bay, from where Connor and Grace Tempest had escaped from.

Jez wondered where Connor was. Was he still alive? Was he still on _The Tiger_? And whether Grace had managed to get onboard the _Nocturne_ again…how was Bart? Had he finally won Cate now?

There were so many questions to be answered. Slowly, Jez drifted into his sleep…

Cool wind blew from somewhere, making his room colder than usual. Jez grunted and turned.

And then he was awake again, almost sweating. Vampires didn't sweat.

Jez felt another presence in his room and his eyes searched for the intruder.

No one was there.

The room was still dark and only had one presence inside it.

The cool breeze touched his face again and Jez closed his eyes. What was happening to him? Was it his powers again?

The Blood Diamond Island held the answers for him.

--------------------------------- ……………………

_I'm going to update a little bit late next time. Keep waiting for the next chapter!!!!!!!_

_And oh, please, I need suggestions on what happens next and loads of reviews!_


	21. Chapter 21

_Guys, i think my computer may have been broken or something and i'm forced to write on the if you find some mistakes, please inore them. And sorry for a short chapter._

**Lost**

"Connor, what do you mean?", Natalie asked, turning wildly to face him. He was still there, not quite looking at her. He seemed occupied again. This unnerved her.  
As she watched, he walked down the steps towards her, his eyes unfocused. He stopped directly infront of her.  
"I want you to drink my blood, querida", he murmured. He finally met her gaze. He looked back to himself...well, his serious self.  
"No. I can't do that", Natalie replied quickly. "I'll find Art for this...you're not my donor. You're my friend".  
"Isn't what friends do?", Connor asked testilly, his emerald eyes shinning. "Don't friends help each other?"  
"I...", she was speechless. Then she shook her head. "No, Connor. It isn't like that. You have to understand. I can't make you my juice-box!"  
Connor towered her now. "Natalie", he whispered. "You look sick. I don't want to see you like that...it reminds me of..." He trailed off, shuddering at some unpleasant memory.  
HE grabbed her arm and towed her to her cabin. Natalie was ashamed to discover that she was more vampire in nature than Connor and yet he had more strenght to pull her along with him. More than that, it knocked her off guard for a moment.  
Connor yanked the door open and wrenched her inside. He seemed ANGRY now. Natalie almost snorted. Yeah, she knew that both the Tempest Twins happened to be very, very stubborn. That was their speciality which enabled them to live in both the Pirate world and the Vampirate's too.  
Natalie's room was exactly how they'd left it. Her stomach lurched sickeningly as her nausea hit her with full force. If Grace found them sharing she'd go ballistic.  
Connor turned her to face him. His grip was tight.  
"No", Natalie was stubborn too. Connor HAD to learn that sometimes his wishes couldn't come true."I am NOT accepting your blood. You CANNOT make me, Connor Tempest".  
"EVen if your hunger kills you?", he demanded.  
"I don't need your blood for MY survival"  
"Oh, is that so? Natalie, you're barely holding yourself!"  
Natalie pulled herself away from his grip. "Go ahead, be stubborn", Connor said bitterly, and eased back to the dressing table. He leaned on it, glaring at her.  
"Connor, NO!"  
Too late. The sharp edge of the little compact mirror cut into Connor's palm without him even knowing it. He felt the sharp pain, she could tell because he winced, and then held up his wounded hand to see what had happened.  
Shock froze Natalie as a thick, red bead of crimson blood welled out of the gash. It's scent perfumed the whole room thickly; making her even more dizzy.  
"Please", Natalie gasped. "Don't do this to me!"  
Connor gazed at her fpr a moment. "You can't reject my BLOOD. I'd thought no one was like us-me and Grace-but when you came i got my hopes up...you never told me your story...is your father a vampirate like mine?" Natalie thought it was ironic to answer his questions when she could barely hold her breath. Why was Connor being so persuasive? What did she mean to him?  
Nothing. Natalie knew she'd never get close to any boy. She hated the fact that they could easily cast spells on girls just like that.  
The fat drop of blood rolled down from Connor's palm to his wrist.  
It was then when her control broke away completely. Shattered like glass.

.....................................................................................................................

Jez Stukeley moaned in his sleep. He was having a nightmare-even though by human standards he was supposed to be a nightmare himself. He woke up, and found himself sitting up, squinting at nothing.  
Jez was already too confused and groggy when he heard someone knock at his door.  
"Captain?"  
Ordinarily, he'd be thrilled to hear that word. Jez had always dreamed that someone would, someday, address him by that simple word. Not now. Jez's last dinner was clawing it's way out of his stomach.  
Nauseated, he still managed to call in his normal tone,  
"What is it?"  
A soft voice stammered slighting from the other end of the door.  
"Captain, i beg forgiveness for waking you up but can i come in?"  
Jez got up from his twisted sheets and straightened his shirt. Then sat at his desk.  
"Alright", he finally said.  
The ancient door creaked open and a small, woman-or rather, girl entered. Her features were pure chinese. Jez could relate her to Cheng-Li, who was once the Deputy of The Diablo.  
"Well?"  
"Um...Captain, They have returned. Uh...One of them is not doing so well...", the girl hesitated.  
"They have?"  
Jez knew what the girl was talking about. Kenyon and some of the others had gone on a small 'raid' to look for more willing Donors. Ever since Jez had set his foot on the deck of this ship, he'd been timely told of the never-ending need for new Donors.  
"Show me the way,please", Jez said, getting to his feet.  
"Yes, Captain", with that, the chinese girl flashed away. Jez had absolutely no problem to follow her speed. He could see her blurred figure.  
Jez was wondering what had happened. Really, there was not much that could attack a vampire, except for another Vampire, Sidorio. Jez knew his crew was a strong one, perhaps stronger than Sidorio's( Jez's ex-captain) but again, Sidorio's crew feasted more on blood than his did. Up on the deck, Jez spotted a crowd gathering near the sails and rigging.  
"Captain Stukeley's here", someone said and they automatically parted away,making room for him.  
"What has happened?", Jez wanted to know.  
"The crew of THE BLOOD CAPTAIN...they attacked us, Captain", came the reply.

_OKAY, GUYS, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. WHO IS THE CHINESE GIRL? I KNOW YOU CAN'T GUESS! _


	22. Chapter 22

_So here's the chapter. I repeat the disclaimer though I wish I owned the Vampirates. Hope you like this chapter. This chapter is probably my favorite so far._

_…………………..………._

**KENYON**

So cold and Grey.

At least it was what he thought of death. He couldn't die though.

His head hurt when he gained consciousness. He could feel the cold hard floor on which he lay sprawled. What happened?

Kenyon's thoughts were vague. He was struggling to get up, which, to his surprise, was not very easy. His throat felt raw and dry.

What he remembered was that his little raid to seek the donors had not been unsuccessful. They'd found children, some runaways nearing to their adolescence, on the verge of dying near the Pirate Academy. Lisa had smelled their death and Kenyon and Will had brought the half-dead teens back to life and offered them a life.

They'd agreed.

But then nightmare. Nothing else. The more powerful beings had found them, Full of unearthly dark energy. And then what Kenyon had felt was pain as he'd realized who they were. His ex-comrades from the _Blood Captain_.

For so many years, he and Jez had hid from them. No, that ship was not their home anymore. But how could they find him now? What sense did it make?

Then another worry crept its way into Kenyon's mind. Where were the others? His family?

Where was Lisa? Pain engulfed him for a moment but he fought it. Lisa…where was his Lisa?

Kenyon sat up and felt his joints crack. Oh, great. He'd been bled first. But no, that wasn't really important…

At once his pupils widened, his irises shone like twin torches. Cool, grey light.

"Kenyon!"

Kenyon's head twisted towards the source of her call. Yes, there were the dark eyes he sought.

"Lisa!"

Cool hands found his and he gripped them hard. Where were they? Other questions swam into his mind as soon as he found Lisa okay.

"Where are we? Where's Will?"

"I don't know where we are but we all are here", Lisa whispered. She sounded so pained, Weak.

"And the humans?"

"I don't know"

Kenyon could focus now. He saw that Will and Lisa were having wounded throats... Kenyon even felt dried blood in his hair and on his shirt.

The room was small. He recognized it as one of the prisons of the ship. Not too familiar though.

Lisa was weeping. Silent tears slid down her smudgy cheeks.

"I think", Will said. "That they're slaughtered"

"Yes", he agreed.

"Do you know this place?" someone asked. Kenyon was wiping at Lisa's tears.

"_The Blood Captain_", Kenyon replied. "This's the ship I escaped from three years ago"

"I think that wouldn't be possible now", Will said dementedly.

"Yeah"

…………..…………………………………..…………..………

**JEZ**

Jez was tense. He paced the length of his room, round and round.

First, he kept feeling sharp stabs of pain in his chest for no reason, like now. The other reason concerned his missing crew.

Was it true that Sidorio's crew had kidnapped his? Why now? This puzzle confused him. For three years, Sidorio had left them alone, even though he could've found them anytime. He'd made Jez what he was now. And the maker could always find his 'creation'.

Jez felt his fangs with his tongue, which he did whenever he was furious these days.

Ha. It was amusing to find himself angry. And anxious.

He could smell the smell of sand. He was nearing the Blood Diamond Island. Perhaps he'd seek reassurance there…

………………….………………….…………..

**CONNOR**

He was smiling when he was leaving. Grace had asked him again and again the cause of his unexpected ecstasy but he'd been unable to answer. He was sure Natalie was feeling the same though she didn't show it.

"Natalie", he'd said when she'd finally pushed him away, her mouth red with his blood. "Feel better?"

And she'd groaned loudly in response.

Now, as Connor hugged Grace Good-bye, he could see her standing in the shades of the sail, her arms crossed over her chest.

"So when are you coming back?", Grace asked him.

"Depends on Captain Li's mood", he shrugged. He could feel the heat burning his back. Yeesh, it was hot today. Sooner or later, his shirt would start clinging to his back.

"Yeah", Grace said. "Can you please tell me why you're so happy leaving me _now?_"

Connor smiled, his gaze returning to Natalie. Grace followed his gaze and raised her eye-brows.

"Fine, I'll ask her", Grace ranted.

"Oh, she won't tell you", Connor laughed. He reached out to ruffle his sister's hair playfully. He was a foot-taller than her now. "It's nothing, really. Besides, I never like it when I'm leaving you, sis"

"Then?"

"Quit it, will you, Gracie? I told you its No-thing"

"Its Some-thing then"

Natalie sighed and returned Connor's gaze. She smiled a little.

"Bye, Nat", he said to her. He detached himself from Grace and reached out to hug her too.

Natalie was a little cold. He could feel it. But again, she was more vampire than him. Her temperature was obviously different from him.

"Don't be mad", He advised her in a whisper.

"I'm not", she replied.

"Well, you've been like this-"

"-Connor, not now, please. They're waiting for you"

Connor looked a little disappointed. His expression was grim.

"I thought that you'd be delighted that", He said. "I finally became useful. It actually shames me when you're still-I don't know, _cold_"

His words stung her.

"I'm sorry", she said.

"I know", he smiled knowingly.

"Connor!" Grace yelled from the other side of the deck. "If you guys don't hurry up with your good-byes, they're gonna leave and Connor, you'd have to swim to catch it!!"

Natalie gave Connor a little shove, grinning.

"Go on, you bastard", she said playfully. "And when you'll come back, I'd feel less hostile to you. Promise"

"Yeah. _Right_"

"I mean it"

"But why so hostile towards-"

"CONNOR YOU DEAF MORON!" Grace yelled as Jacoby also shouted for Connor to join them or he'd have to carry himself and his worthless butt through the wave to get to his ship.

"Alright!" Connor yelled agitatedly.

He heaved himself from the deck and into the sea below. For one moment she thought he was going to fall. But he didn't. He'd merely climbed down to the rope ladder which would carry him to the other ship.

Natalie stepped forward and reached across the space to squeeze Connor's big, tanned hand. Connor looked surprised but he smiled a little.

"Come back soon", was all she said that afternoon.

***

**JEZ**

He could smell the rain as he walked along the sandy shore of the Island. It was Dawn, he could see; but what puzzled him was that the sunlight didn't effect him at all. It felt so good to walk in morning light after so many days because it didn't even hurt his eyes anymore.

He could see the ship he'd been traveling on for so many years. It stayed in the sea, ready to leave. On the deck he couldn't make out anyone. He'd left the job of taking care of the ship to the lithe Chinese girl who was shy but very much an affective fighter. One of his deputies.

He'd only known the girl for three years, being a runaway, but had proved very brave and strong through the years.

He was sure that he'd find Kenyon and the others held captives here, because Sidorio was aware of this island. He'd been the one who'd first suggested that if he'd wanted to cool down, he'd surf here anytime…

But Jez had some answers to unlock.

He strolled into the deserted grayish island as cold wind hit him full in the face, with occasional drops of icy rain His jacket was unzipped and it flapped loosely around his lean frame. The forest he entered was thick. Branches snagged at him as he increased his speed towards the center of the isolated, mystical place.

A sudden unknown force hit him squarely in the chest as he walked, causing him to stumble over the upturned roots of an ancient tree. Nausea caused him to cough. He rolled over to his back, trying to orient himself.

What the hell was _that?_

He panted for a while. He'd heard that there was power caged inside this island…but why had he fallen down so suddenly? The sharp stabs of pain in his chest-particularly the place where he'd received the sword cut from which he'd died-was getting irritatingly worse day by day. He convulsed as he felt the pain again.

Ahhhhhhhh. He needed to feed.

Slowly, he pushed himself up, his eyes shining like twin pools of fire even in broad daylight. He guessed it was probably the result of lack of blood…the most common problem-and his unbreakable habit to feed upon mortals so freely.

And then he hunted.

**NATALIE**

She was yawning. But still, the smiling face of Connor loomed in front of her, haunting her. He was sad…as if he'd lost a war.

Natalie slid down beneath the leathery sails of the _Nocturne_, hugging her knees close to her chest. The rough material of the sails brushed her head and let out luminous veins and sending chills upon chills up and don her spine. She didn't know why she'd treated Connor so hostilely. He was so nice to her and understood her almost like Ray.

Where was Ray anyway? Natalie hadn't seen him since the bell had rung, indicating the Vampirates to wake up from their slumber.

Darcy had been optimistic as ever. Was she ever down? No, Natalie didn't think so.

And as if on cue, Darcy, looking very much like a porcelain doll in her dark fichu and that prominent swishy bob of hers, climbed up o the deck, singing under her breath, she joined the crowd of the Vampirates in their conversation immediately.

The deck was crowded tonight. The lamps glazed mildly across the deck, bathing everything in soft orange light.

Natalie looked for Ray in every little mob of laughing immortals. Nope, he wasn't up yet.

_Sleepy Head, _she thought, almost rolling her eyes. Her brother was completely like her. If it hadn't been for Connor's Haunting face which kept appearing before her eyes, she would've been sleeping too. But it was pretty unusual for Ray to be in bed so late. He was a Vampirate after all.

She was pondering over this when she felt the tap-tap of high heels walking towards her. She looked up, stifling her yawn in her fist.

"Well, it isn't Natalie Velde, brooding so manly like in a corner all by herself", Darcy said in her cockney accent. Darcy gathered up her fichu and settled down beside her. "What ever is the matter, Natalie?"

"Nothing, really, in a sense", she retorted. "Just that I kind of miss Connor and his twisted sense of humor"

"I heard you were mad at him when he left", Darcy exclaimed, surprised.

"Not really", Natalie admitted. "He's so persuasive"

Darcy laughed. "Trust me, I know"

They watched as Grace leaned forward the rail, enjoying the wind that hit her full in the face. No one bothered her-maybe except Lorcan. But then, he was always like that.

"How do you know?", Natalie finally asked Darcy.

Darcy smiled sadly. She hesitated for a moment. "Well…there was a Vampirate on board once…"

Natalie raised her eye-brows inquiringly, causing Darcy to explain.

"His name was Jez Stukeley" she said. The name raised some buried memories inside Natalie. Stukeley…?

Darcy looked pained-and betrayed. An unusual expression for a sunny person like her.

"What happened?", Natalie whispered. "I know he fooled you guys years ago and took away half of the crew to..." she frowned, trying to remember the name of the ship."_Blood Captain_"

"Well", Darcy said, a small smile creeping up to her pretty face-of regret probably. "You know he's a jerk."

"Oh", Natalie said, surprised. "He was fine when I was on Sidorio's ship. At least he wasn't acting like a jerk then…but I know, he's still a jerk because you say it"

She gave Darcy a warm smile.

"OH AND I SHOULD BELIEVE YOU?"

They turned to see Grace and Lorcan standing a few feet away, glaring at each other's face in anger. Grace had colored up, her fists curled and hair loose. There were literally green sparks flying out of her eyes.

"Jeez, I said I WAS sorry!" Lorcan shot at her.

Grace snorted.

"Are you sure you mean it?", she hissed. "I still don't believe you, you-you leech-"

"YOU KNOW I DID IT BECAUSE I _COULDN'T_ CONTROL MYSELF!_" _Lorcan roared, striding towards her again, his blue eyes brighter than ever.

"YES!" Grace answered. "And you know what? Keep away from me from now on so you can learn to control yourself!"

Lorcan stopped directly in front of her, glaring down at her.

"IT was just a damn little drop, Gracie!" he protested. "I couldn't resist!"

"Don't you dare call me Gracie!" Grace yelled in his face. She held up her wrist in front of him.

Natalie gasped quietly as she saw what Lorcan had down to her arm. There were two thin cuts there, glistening with blood. Drops of it slid down her white arm and stained her shirt.

The Vampirates stirred. At once Darcy was on her feet. She ran towards her as fast as she could. At first Natalie thought Darcy was going to knock Grace down and Bite her…but Darcy was too soft hearted. Darcy was rushing to pull Grace into the Captain's Cabin for safety because the Vampirates had also smelled the blood…

But before Darcy could reach her, Grace stiffened and let out a blood-cuddling scream. Lorcan stepped back, his hands clamped tightly over his ears.

"I'm sorry, Grace! I didn't mean to hurt you!" he cried but his cry was nearly blocked by her shrieks.

Natalie sensed dread. She was on her feet too, rushing towards her. Something hit her squarely in the face. A cold wind…so forceful that she had to cover her face. The wind ripped at the sails, and Grace still screamed, tears streaming down her face. Lorcan was crying now, too. He kept apologizing.

Darcy, mean while, was stopped where she was like Natalie. Particularly everyone was stuck where they were. The situation stirred the fear and confusion in all of the people who were present on the deck

The clouds overhead thundered angrily and poured down rain upon them. The waves got wilder by the second. Grace got quiet suddenly, dropping down…

…and a huge wave struck the ship viciously, tilting it first to its left side, then to its right. It felt as if the ship was going to sink. All the lamps were extinguished and the dark, angry sea seemed to swallow them right up.

Natalie gasped, choking with water. At least she'd gotten her bearings. She was running towards Grace who was falling down.

The ship lurched threateningly again and Grace was thrown over the rail.

"NO!" Lorcan shouted, already rushing over the rail and heaving himself over too.

The Captain suddenly appeared out of no where, his leathery cape flapping. The Vampirates shrank back from the place where the sea had swallowed them.

He leaned forward, his mask veiling his face. Veins of light formed in his cape as he stepped forward, trying to save the two people who'd just fallen in the choppy waters below the ship. It was no use. They were gone-completely disappeared under the tides.

"Grace! Lorcan!" He yelled.

Natalie had never heard him use such a voice before. She kept back. Gradually the storm passed and the waters stabled the ship. Natalie started to went towards the Captain, trying to help but somebody gabbed her from behind and pulled back.

"No, Lass, they'll find her without your help"

The voice she'd been searching for a while. She'd tensed when he'd grabbed her, but now she relaxed.

"Ray", she muttered. "Where have you been? It's been so horrible!"

"I know", Ray said. 'I was here. I saw the scene too"

Together, they waited for Grace and Lorcan to be found. Natalie had absolutely no idea what lay ahead. Their destinies were changing and the tide was too-again.

What got her thinking was what the hell had really happened. When she'd come on the deck earlier that evening, there were stars in the black sky. How could it suddenly storm? It seemed as if Grace could control the wild sea all by herself. Was it possible?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

The time would tell her though.

…………………………………..___________

_I'm so, so sorry that I updated so late. Well, my school has started and I've been a lot busy lately. I'm sure I'll start the next chapter with Connor. He has his own adventures coming up. I hope you liked the chapter I know there are some parts which will be confusing but I hope you'll understand in the upcoming chapters. Keep reviewing 'CUZ it's the thing which keeps me going. No reviews and the story will get boring! :D_

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	23. Chapter 23

_:D for all my reviewers: _**YOU GUYS ROCK**_!_

………………….………………………

**CONNOR**

He was walking, with his boots filled with water. His hair was plastered to his face, and every time he took a step, water oozed out of his soppy deck boots. In fact, he was wet all over because, thanks to Jacoby, he'd been thrown into the sea while the others got in Ma Kettle's for a nice little glass of rum.

Overhead, the sky was starry but it was still. Even the waters were calm tonight. Nice weather, he thought.

But those murders he'd heard about…

_They found a few corpses at the back of Ma Kettle's they say…Ma had no idea how they got there…hey, help me with the three wishes, will you, Connor?_ Was what Jacoby had said. But Connor wasn't really afraid. Murders happened all the time in the Pirate world!

He was all alone there, on the Harbor. But it felt strangely good to be in a silent place for once. So much time had passed since he'd actually been alone, in a deserted place. He enjoyed it. Connor decided that it would be better if he skipped on rum tonight. He wanted to enjoy the time he had alone-and perhaps-to think things over. No one would even notice he was missing once they got drunk.

But did he want to? He'd been feeling strange ever since Natalie had bitten his wound on his wrist. He felt sort of disconnected-like being in a place but not really being there at once.

Sighing, he settled near the harbor, where he was a little away from the noisy Tavern. His feet nearly touched the water. But then, it couldn't get worse-he was already drenched. He looked over the horizon for a moment, trying not to think about anything and eventually got bored.

He got up, and was making his way towards Ma Kettle's when he heard a back door bang open and yelling. He reacted to the familiar voice and ran to see why was Jacoby shouting his ass off.

But before Connor could find from where Jacoby's voice was coming from, he saw Jacoby running around a corner.

"Jacob-"

"GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE, CONNOR, THAT BITCH'S NOT A HUMAN!"

"Wha-"

"I SAID RUN!"

With that, he shoved Connor.

Connor was confused but he made to follow Jacoby and as a result, landed on his stomach in the dirt.

"What the-_Sugar Pie?_ What's going on?" he exclaimed, bewildered, when he saw wavy golden hair appear out of nowhere. He caught a whiff of a sweet, sugary scent.

"I don't know!", she exclaimed, and helped him get to his feet. "He just ran away!"

But he hadn't. Jacoby was standing a few feet away, still shouting for Connor to get away from Sugar-Pie.

Connor rubbed the back of his head gingerly.

"Did you hit me?" he asked her.

"Oh, no, no!" Sugar-Pie replied.

"Connor! Look out!"

Connor swirled just in time to see Sugar-Pie raise a wooden plank to hit it at him. He dodged, ducking, and then ran away. Adrenaline pumped into his blood. He could feel it.

He looked up to see Sugar-Pie snarling. Man, she was beautiful. Too beautiful. It creeped him out. Her blonde hair so silvery in the moon light, her eyes-he shuddered-were blazing! Her mouth was turning redder as if an invisible hand was applying lipstick to her lips.

Connor's hand touched the hilt of his rapier.

"What are you?", he asked. Because it was plainly obvious that she wasn't an ordinary human girl as she seemed-apparently. She'd somehow scared Jacoby.

"Oh, nothing, Dear", her voice wasn't so sugary like her name now. It was filled with menace. "I'm just a chick with some moves"

Jacoby snorted. "Then why'd ya attach to me like…I dunno…a vacuum cleaner or something…"

Connor slowly wrapped his fingers around his rapier. Adrenaline pumped through him, his limbs tensed.

And as he'd expected, Sugar-Pie lunged at him. It happened all too fast. He thrust his rapier forward, and yet missed her. Jacoby's sword sliced through her hair.

Sugar-Pie just grunted. She reached for Connor's neck-completely forgetting Jacoby. Her fingers dug into Connor's shirt instead. He swiped his blade into her arm then. Jacoby's slashed into her side.

A gust of warm blood hit Connor in the face as his Rapier contacted her skin. Sugar-Pie drew in a breath and screamed, and her nails cut into his shoulder.

No time to feel the pain…this girl wasn't even dying! Panic swept over him.

He grunted and shook her off him.

Jacoby was suddenly thrown backwards-he slipped on the grass and slid down the side and into the water. There was a splash to prove it.

Sugar-Pie missed his rapier by an inch. They looked as if they were dancing in the moonlight.

Sugar-Pie struck her foot at his rapier and he lifted it away. He was dizzy with confusion and was feeling…Oh; no…he must NOT loose his focus…

WHAM!  
Her converse hit him in the chest and he staggered back, panting. A trickle of blood ran down his face.

"Are you having fun, Connor?" Sugar-Pie asked sweetly, standing at ease. "They say you've grown an expert at fighting over the years…" She reached forward and he sliced his Rapier into her shoulder. With a sickening sound, Sugar-Pie staggered, her face now pale. But to his astonishment, her beautiful face broke into a smile.

"I am so disappointed", she purred.

Connor forced the steel to dig deeper into her. She flinched and then let out another scream. A fake one.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Caught off guard, his grip loosened and Sugar-Pie, feigned pain and fell down, as if close to dying. Hands grabbed Connor and pulled him away.

Ma Kettle was there, in her satin clothes, yelling and pushing him back from the…_thing._

"Let go off me!" Connor roared, and swung his arm out of the woman's pudgy hand. He was creeped out and surprised that what had just happened. He'd just started to…well, response her moves! He was so confused!

Some one else grabbed his upper arm. He didn't really see.

"What happened?" his Captain asked him.

"She attacked me" he replied.

There were whispers rising from here and there. How many people had witnessed their action? What did they think? People were talking.

"…Sugar-Pie's bleedin'…"

"That Tempest boy cut her down"

"Wow. So much blood! Wha happened?"

"He KILLED her! He KILLED her!"

Connor wanted to kill _him_, that rat who was crying his head off that Connor had killed Sugar-Pie.

He didn't see where he was. Every thing was in and out of focus. Then it blacked out for a moment.

"Look…Captain…Tempest is bleeding! He is wounded!" Some one cried.

And when he _could_ see, he was sitting on a chair.

Cheng-Li sat in front of him, peering at him strangely, thoughtfully.

"Captain Cheng-Li", Connor moaned, rubbing his forehead. "I feel disoriented…what happened?"

She didn't reply. Her brow pulled together as she frowned.

Cheng-Li was a woman that believed in the supernatural. She'd started to depend on him on that subject because Connor was himself a unique specimen of the supernatural. She believed what he said and thought. Cheng-Li had changed a little over the years. She was still the woman of determination. Her Smokey eyes proved that because there was coldness to them. It was something which made him curious.

"Get out, Stevens", she ordered the man behind her. He obeyed, closing the door softly behind him.

Cheng-Li sighed and got up. It was then Connor noticed that the room was almost completely bare, save for the chairs he and she'd been using.

"Connor Tempest", she said briskly, pacing the room. "Do you have any idea what you might have or might _not_ have done tonight?"

Connor looked at her right in the eye.

"I don't know, Captain", he replied.

She nodded, as if she'd been expecting this answer. She stepped at her chair and leaned against it, facing him.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked a little less sternly.

He looked doubtful.

"Not much…" Connor retorted.

"Then tell me what you _do_ remember", Cheng-Li requested.

"Well, I…", Connor began hesitantly. Why was he hesitating?

"I was coming in Ma Kettle's when I heard Jacoby yelling at someone. I turned around and went to look for him. He ran past me and then…Sugar-Pie…"

He felt dizzy. For a moment he lost his focus. The room tilted to one side, then the other. He remembered how Sugar-Pie smelled and suddenly felt nauseated.

He was unaware that he was still speaking.

"…She almost hit me…I remember me and Jacoby fighting her off me…Captain, she isn't dead! She faked it! I…I don't remember more…"

Cheng-Li nodded again, looking patient.

"Let me get a glass of water for you, wait for a sec"

He watched her drowsily as she magically conjured up a jug and poured out some water in one of the tiny glasses. When she offered him, he took it willingly and raised the glass to his lips.

Cheng-Li watched him as he drank.

"Well, let me tell you my part of the story", she said. "You weren't with us when we got in; I'd noticed. Even Jacoby wasn't with us. I thought you two were just goofing around as usual, any way; I didn't look for you then. I was seated at the table nearest to the windows though and that was when I heard Jacoby shouting. I got up and I'm sorry to say, ma Kettle noticed me leave. She followed me. I saw Sugar-Pie embrace Jacoby. She injured him pretty bad, I might add. I don't really know what she did, but Jacoby suddenly grew conscious of what was happening because he'd simply grown limp in her arms. He pried her off him and ran for it. He tried to warn you but you didn't really react to his warning. He was scared when Sugar-Pie knocked you out.

"I think Sugar-Pie thought Jacoby would just pop sooner or later because she left him alone. She took you as her victim. You fought her well, Connor, because you're still alive, but you don't remember any of it. This is what puzzles me.

"But what had really happened? What is she? Sugar-Pie can go in the sun so she's not a Vampirate. She didn't suck your blood either. She just cut you from here"

Cheng-Li extended her arm and touched something on his jaw. A terrible wave of pain engulfed him and he flinched away, his head spinning. There were angry red throbs appearing under his eye lids.

"See? This is why you feel so dizzy", Cheng-Li explained. "The others were ready to kill you because they didn't saw what she did to you or Jacoby. But luckily I witnessed what had happened or other wise you'd be dead. We're leaving immediately. I think Ma Kettle can handle it all by herself till every thing cools down a bit. She saw what had happened too. Can you walk?"

"I don't know", Connor replied.

"Here, let me help you then" he took hold of her hand and got up, swaying slightly. That water made him feel better. He decided that he could walk.

"Where's Jacoby, Captain?"

"He's on my ship. C'mon, hurry up or do you want to get killed here on the spot?" Cheng-Li snapped as he stopped to look where he was. The hallway was dimly lit, and he at once caught a whiff of sherry. He wrinkled his nose.

Cheng-Li motioned Stevens, who was sitting in the shadows, to join them.

They thundered down the worn staircase and into the night.

………………….****………………****………………..

_That's it for now! I think the next chapter's also about Connor. Get ready for some action!!!!!_

_One more word:_

**Review.**


	24. Chapter 24

_Some good quotes I've been reading lately:_

**Join the army, meet interesting people, and kill them.  
If life hands you lemons squeeze them into a squirt gun and shoot someone in the eye.  
I'm in the shower filming, "Rubber Duckies Gone Wild!"  
The world is coming to an end. Please log off**

**Stop smiling, you're not that humble.**

**I was born intelligent but education ruined me.**

_You guys can check more interesting ones at _**.com.**

……………………………………………………..**^^)**

**CONNOR**

It was nearly mid-day. It was the fourth day since the incident with Sugar Pie had happened. He gripped the bucket hard, his stomach muscles pulling.

"Man, Con, you look so green", Jasmine noticed, sitting at the edge of his bed. "You feel alright?"

"No"

"Leave the guy on his sick-bed, Jazz", Jacoby drawled from the top bunk. His long legs dangled from the edge of the bed.

"Ask _me_ if _I'm_ alright", he murmured. "I'm suffering from a heart disease here!'

Connor felt the acid in his stomach clawing up his gut.

"He's gonna throw up!" a lean, handsome pirate warned from a neighboring bunk-bed. Jasmine however didn't move from her place. He resumed chatting with his mate next bed then.

"That's the third time you've thrown up", she told Connor, who was wiping the corners of his mouth with his sleeve gingerly.

"Well, that's a record", he rolled his eyes. He felt better, so he put the bucket under his bed and lay back, throwing a blanket over his head. "I never got really sick all of a sudden before"

"Did you eat something or what?" he heard Jasmine ask him worriedly." You got sick yesterday, did you go to the infirmary when we went to the Pirate Academy?"

Connor groaned, and threw away his blanket. He sat up, stretched, and stole Jacoby's pillow from under his head.

"Hey!"

Connor lay back down again and threw that pillow over his face.

"Stop fusing", came his muffled advice to Jasmine. "I'm ill here, remember?"

"Yeah", Jacoby added quietly to her. He rolled over to his stomach, facing her from the upper bed. "Maybe it's that damn sushi he ate at the last port"

"Maybe", Jasmine replied, defeated.

"No way", Connor protested. "You guys know too much sugar isn't good for health"

"Hey you guys" the same pirate who'd warned Jasmine that Connor was going to throw up entered the room. "Captain's getting all mad at ya for not training. She's calling ya to her Cabin. Some discussion on the next attack I think. Better go up or she'll explode"

"Thanks, Tyce", Jasmine smiled. "Be there in a flash"

"You'd better be" he was gone.

After a few minutes, both Jacoby and Jasmine were gone, and the room was quiet.

Connor fluffed up his thin pillow and relaxed. He felt so better.

Ah. This was the life. You could be sick any day…just look at all the possibilities…

Then he was asleep.

_The ocean was blue. How she hated the color. The salty breeze wiped at her hair and she tugged the loose strands behind her ears. The waves carried her driftwood to no where. Her cut-off pants were wet and her blouse was wrinkled. She was so tired._

_Four whole days had passed since she'd slipped and gotten lost in the storm. She'd managed not to loose her consciousness, though the attempt was very poor. She had no idea what had happened. Had Lorcan pushed her down the rail?_

_Grace was sure on one thing: she was hungry…almost delirious with hunger. But in cases like this, hunger was the last thing you think of. Her primary thought had been:_

_What? What happened? Where am I?_

_She remembered everything before she'd fallen in the waters. The sudden white-hot pain in her arm-where he'd cut her, the sensation of being ripped out of your body and something…in her upper jaw. What ever it was, it sure had been ugly._

_The sun over-head was beating down on her. There was no regret, no anger in her that remained. The only emotion in her was despair. It was so deep that it shook her from within. She felt so alone. And betrayed._

_Sure, she'd been curious about how the Donor-Vampirate relationship had felt, but she'd never wanted Lorcan to drain her! She wasn't there to provide him life any more! Sure, Grace had been ready to provide him her blood, but that was before. Grace's and Lorcan's friendship had changed._

_Everything had changed._

_Grace hugged her knees, and managed back a sob._

_Where were they? Did Connor know about her disappearance? What was he doing? What was Lorcan and Darcy doing? How did the Vampirate Captain react when he found out about everything? Was he punishing Lorcan?_

_Grace shook her head. She needed to get to shore…in any way. She could die here. Why weren't the Vampirates looking for her? They could find her anywhere, couldn't they?_

_A tear rolled down her cheek. Then another._

_Grace had the feeling that she didn't want to go back to them anymore. Every thing was over. _

_The gentle blue waves and the sky reminded her of Lorcan for uncountable times. Could she ever forgive him? What would her twin brother do if he found out what had happened to her?_

He woke up with a start. He was sweating.

………………………..^^^

"Are you sure you want to go back?" Cheng-Li asked him for the last time.

"Yes, captain", Connor said. "I know this nausea isn't because of something I ate, trust me on that"

It was sun-set, and the sun touched the waves, bathing it in its golden light. It would've been a breath-taking scene if he wouldn't have that _thought_ nagging him.

"Alright, then…Connor", Cheng-Li sighed. She gave him a weary smile. "You know what, maybe you should ditch us and live permanently with them…you take so many days off…it seems as if you're not the part of my crew anymore"

"Jeez", Connor was baffled. "Ya think so? No, I'd rather go back to the _Diablo_"

Cheng-Li shook her head.

"I'm going to tell them that you've gone to the Academy. I don't have any business there, anymore, but I think we can pass for the excuse anyway. And please make sure you return here tomorrow or I'll really cut you're arm off"

"Thanks a lot, Captain"

He descended into the row-boat.

……………………………………***…….

**NATALIE**

"No, nothing's here, Raymond", Natalie sighed, dropping on to the thick bag of what-ever it contained. She was covered from head to foot in dust and her nose tingled.

"I think we should call it a day, don't you think?" her older brother said. His blood-red hair stood up in spikes in all directions. He didn't look a bit tired to her-but he was covered in dust like her.

They had been searching for their parents' letters for hours now. The room in which they sat was situated in the lowest part of the _Nocturne_.

A few years ago, Natalie had accidentally bitten her father. She was sorry for that. But he never came in front of her eyes again. He was never at the feasts anymore (Though Natalie had been told by Raymond that he shared blood in his cabin) and he wasn't weak.

But then, the brother and sister had found out that maybe there were some letters of their father to their mothers. They'd been trying t find them for three whole years and hadn't been successful yet. The letters were important to Natalie.

The door burst open, and Darcy came in.

"Oh, here you two are", she said (not in her usual cheery voice; everyone was down because of the missing Grace-and-Lorcan problem). "He's here. He wants to see you Natalie. And he knows Grace's missing"

Raymond raised an eye-brow at Darcy.

Darcy smiled a little. They always got on well.

"Connor's here", she explained.

"Oh", He had on a poker-face.

"Where's he?" Natalie asked Darcy, getting up and dusting at her shorts.

"Up in his usual room, Nat", she said.

"I'll come along", Raymond said, shutting the big chest. "I need to clean up. We'll resume tomorrow"

"If there _is_ another tomorrow", Natalie muttered.

On the way, she noticed that Darcy was wearing a plain white dress that brushed the floor. She was paler than usual and there were dark circles under her eyes.

Grace was her dearest friend. Of course Darcy was worried.

"Here", Darcy stopped in front of the guest room (The very one in which Grace stayed on her very first visit to the Vampirates three years ago. "Hey, Raymond, can you help me with something?"

He looked surprised.

"Yeah, sure, Miss Flotsam. But I need to clean up" he held up his dirty hands.

"Don't worry", Darcy smiled. "The dust can be washed off later"

Raymond shrugged and followed her up stairs. Natalie watched them go.

Then she turned to the door.

What would she say to him?

Natalie sighed and knocked.

…………………………………………………..************…….

Meanwhile, upstairs, Darcy knocked at the Vampirate Captain's door.

"He thinks Grace and Lorcan reached some sort of shore", she told Ray. "You've been on this ship for so long, and you know the directions of many hidden islands. Maybe you can help us"

"Yeah, maybe", Raymond said. "I'd be glad to, but what hidden island? How did they end up there?"

"God knows how", Darcy said. "But we're not sure, are we? Captain just thinks they're there…we can loose the Tempest twins. They are something to be preserved"

"And protected from someone like Sidorio", Raymond nodded, his eyes narrowing.

Hate burned inside him like molten lava. "Where is he, anyway? He's kept quiet for quite a long time"

"Hmm", Darcy frowned. Her expression grew even bitterer. "Probably sitting in his nice little hole with his wild crew, biding his time. He always does"

They entered.

"Ah, Mister Velde. I need you help with this", came the Captain's whisper in their heads. The cabin was dark. The table was strewn with maps and files and papers as always. The masked Captain was examining a rather brownish map in his gloved hands.

"You see, I suspect the two of them to have reached a legendary island" he explained as Raymond took a seat. Darcy did the same. "The very one your father where your mother, Eleanor, died"

Raymond's eyes sharpened.

"You mean the Blood Island?", He confirmed.

"They call it the Blood Diamond island now" The Vampirate Captain informed him. "And that is partly because of your sister"

"Anyways, we will come to that topic later. Maybe Grace has found her way to the place. And to tell you the truth, I have no idea what will happen if she gets to the heart of that land. Many Vampirates are rather badly affected there; take your mother as an example. But since Grace is not a full Vampirate, she may be affected differently. Connor arrived here, sick. He's not doing so well. I think it's because of the twins' connection with each other. It's being damaged"

"Oh, my", Darcy covered her mouth with her hand in horror. "But why and how Captain?"

The masked man passed the map to Raymond.

"That island is dangerous for us. It's not an ordinary one, Miss Flotsam. It can do anything to us or the Twins. We must protect the Tempest Twins from the wrong hands. Once the Island's mystical powers undo what's inside Grace and Connor, everyone will want to get their hands on them. And Sidorio is their father! These twins can change the oceans! If not controlled, they can cause earthquakes or tidal waves or tsunamis. I controlled Grace by not letting her go deeper in her Vampirates' passion. She was a bit difficult when she was younger. But the most important point is that neither of the Twins should drink blood. They will stop aging and become unrestrained. In other words, they can't lead normal lives after it-already there life isn't said normal"

There was a few minutes silence in the whole Cabin.

………………..………………….

_I'm going so very fast___

_I'm proud of it….!_

_……………_

**Alright, this story's gonna be the longest one you guys have read yet, but not that boring, I assure you as I'm starting to enjoy it too. This chapter however was very boring because I have an asthma attack these days and I'm coughing my lungs out…plus missing school and writing this Fic. So please appreciate my work and REVIEW!!!!**


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25 ALREADY?**

**Look at my avatar! I found a picture of Sally Tempest! That's how I picture Grace in my Fic at the moment. Also, I'd like you to vote on my poll. It's easy. **

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The sharp female laughter sliced the calm sea's atmosphere.. There was no animal nearby which could be frightened by it, but it could raise Goosebumps on your skin. It was twisted and icy-too cruel to be human.

The sky overhead was stormy. The gale whipped at the ships' sails, the whistling wind rushing by as if playing an eerie music.

"Excellent. Everything is going according to our plan" the man in the middle of the crowd on the deck said silkily.

He was surrounded by a rather large group of strange men. They wore unusual clothes. Each of them was scary in his or her own way. Beside him stood a thin girl, with gleaming blonde hair that looked like some golden syrup running down her head.

Her face was the most beautiful-so beautiful that it was terrifying. Her rosy lips were curved into a smile. On her waist was a gleaming epée.

"Captain, is it true that he's coming?" Johnny Desperado asked. He was close to Sugar-Pie, and was occasionally looking at her He too, was armored.

Sidorio smiled that showed his twin golden fangs. "Why, yes. He never left us in the first place. Everything was done in order to destroy the Nocturne…some part of my plan has, I admit, gone wrong. But there is no need to fear. We have caught the weakling; the one who tried to lead Stukeley away from his own home. But it didn't work…"

Johnny was grinning now. He was actually beaming. Three whole years since he'd met his _Harmano_. Johnny could bet anything that all these years had changed Stukeley. It had-he was now a Captain of another ship! He was excited.

So was the rest of the crew. Stukeley was the first one who'd joined Sidorio's crew and was thus respected by others.

"I'd thought he left us for sure", a dark man clad in baggy trousers said in his thick accent.

Sidorio smiled at this.

"Naw. He can never betray us"

……………………………………..***

Jez was standing with his head bowed.

The song was playing in his head again and this was a rather sad one. He loved that voice-it reminded him of Darcy Flotsam. Though he'd really liked her at that time, he was not really sorry that he'd broken her heart. He'd not had had the same feelings for her as she'd had. So what? You meet so many challenges and broken hearts and pain in life. If one's life contained all the happiness then it wouldn't _be_ a life. He hoped she was over him.

The voice, which started to fade in his mind, was a younger one. It didn't resemble Darcy's at all-it was hypnotizing and soul-relaxing. Darcy's voice got breathless when she sang-but this voice would sing without taking a single breath for quite a while. Not that Darcy's voice wasn't beautiful. This voice just-changed him.

Jez closed his eyes and a soft sigh escaped his lips.

"Captain?"

He started a little but it didn't show.

"Yes?"

"I've assembled the crew as you've asked. We're ready for the Vampirates of the Blood Captain", the girl said.

"Good, Bo Yin", Jez turned to face the small girl with dark hair. She gazed steadily back at him. "I'm coming"

Bo yin nodded and walked out of his cabin. Jez had returned to his ship after spending only a day at the island. But then he'd received a message from the Blood Captain-his ex home- Sidorio liked to settle this 'mistake' by reasonable talk. From his years' experience of piracy, Jez had learned that such 'talks' never worked for pirates. They always ended up cutting each others' necks.

Well, it didn't hurt to try, did it?

"Alright-I see it…I think", Natalie announced triumphantly as she saw a faint outline of a distant island. It was raining in thick curtains, and the storm was getting wilder by the second. But it never affected the Vampirates. The ship went through the lashing waters smoothly, and none of them was wet-other than Connor and Natalie. Natalie had on her rain jacket

"Where?" Connor inquired, standing next to her, squinting through the rain. He was drenched to his bones-but not yet cold. He was though.

"There", Natalie pointed.

Connor's gaze followed where she'd pointed. At first, he couldn't see anything but lightening and rain. Then, he suddenly made out a dark outline of an island It was quite small. It was just a jagged shape rising from the stormy sea. The horizon over it was of a strange color-a shade of violent violet. It was the sign from which Raymond had recognized it.

Natalie shivered.

"It's so cold", she complained to him. "How can you stand it without even a jacket?"

Connor grinned, though there were dark circles under his eyes

"What can I say? I'm a natural heater. Come here"

He pulled her near. He _was _warm

"Connor?" Natalie asked.

He only 'hmmed?".It annoyed her.

"Hey, look!" She was away from him-leaning on the rail, the hood of her rain coat almost dropping to her tiny nose.

"Is that another…ship?"

"WHAT?!"

"Look!"

"What's going on?" Darcy appeared behind them, surprised. "Why are you guys yelling?"

Natalie pulled her forward. Natalie was at least five inches taller than Darcy but it didn't show when Darcy was wearing heels-like now.

"Can you see it?" Natalie demanded.

"The island? Yes…" Darcy said, her wide eyes scanning the stormy scene.

"No, look to the left! I think it's a ship as she says", Connor helped. He pointed. It's small"

"But no that small" Natalie was pale. "It's a pirate ship"

Darcy gasped softly. "I see it! Wait! I'll get the Captain!"

She disappeared from between them, leaving a space. Connor was suddenly alert, Natalie noticed.

_Where is it?_

A whisper filled her mind. The Vampirate Captain was here.

"Captain", Connor said respectfully. They hadn't met when Connor had arrived.

"It's there-to the left. It's far, but it'll reach us in an hour"

The veins in his cape dazzled Natalie. The masked face and the whisper gave away nothing.

"A pirate ship" he confirmed. "Headed for the island perhaps? If so, it cannot be an ordinary pirate ship"

Natalie looked at Connor, astonished. Another Vampirate ship? It could only be the _Blood Captain…_or the _Vagabond__, which by the way, they knew nothing of. They'd only heard its name._

Fear gripped Natalie. She wasn't afraid of anything but them…the ones who'd killed her. She was older now, trained in sword-fighting, well coordinated and fast due to the blood she drank. But still she found herself afraid of them. Natalie had even encountered the pirates at ma Kettle's-even fought an actual sword fight till Connor had come for her rescue.

"What should we do?" Darcy asked worriedly.

"Not panic" was the reply from the enigmatic man before he turned away from them. "We'll continue our journey. Maybe it is just an ordinary pirate ship. its crew seem like that"

That eased some tension. If the Captain was calm, why shouldn't they be?

"Well" Connor ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "We're not far"

"I hope Grace's alright" Natalie said, returning to his side.

"And Lorcan too", Darcy added, joining them by the rail, though not leaning on it as they were.

Connor made a face.

He sure didn't like him anymore-not that he liked him before too. He was just tolerating the guy for Grace's sake. Connor wondered whether he could tolerate him when he met him now-or just run

The rain ceased a bit and they could make out the dark ship's glistening sails. On the other side, they saw the island-which apparently held what The Vampirates on the Nocturne sought.

………………….

"There!" Jez said, pointing at the island.

"Sidorio agreed to meet on the island I left a few days ago. Steer to the left"

He was standing alert, assembling his crew which was getting ready for the fight-just in case. They'd practiced with something new-that would really hurt them because steel certainly didn't. The wound received from the steel healed like magic. But Jez knew that the swords made out of wood did. They reminded him of the ones they gave for training at the Pirate Academy. That memory made him smile.

"Uh…Captain" We've spotted another ship heading in our direction" came a report.

_(__This is so silly__)_

_……………………….._

An hour later….

"No sign of it" Raymond exclaimed. "It's disappeared!"

They were all on the deck, ready to descend the ship. They were almost by the shore. The storm had passed but the heavy clouds still thundered over them.

Natalie was watching the island with wide eyes. The air was freezing-below zero degrees-and clean. It smelled like rain-not the ocean here. The icy wind whipped at their clothes, causing Natalie to shiver harder and Connor grin. It seemed as if she were the only one cold over here.

"Ya cold?" Connor guessed. "You're not even what they call fit"

She nodded sheepishly. "I'm a human too, after all!"

She felt Raymond's eyes on her and turned to meet his gaze. His eyebrows were raised.

"What?"

"Nothing" he turned away.

Funny.

They descended, half of the Vampirates who could fight. The rest of them remained on the ship, including the ones who couldn't fight. The other half was actually the 'backup' crew. Darcy was remaining on the ship firstly because she hated bloodshed and secondly she was there to help the remaining crew with the 'arrangements' as she called it.

Connor and Raymond flanked Natalie and she was deeply irritated by this. Why couldn't they stop being her bodyguards for once? Raymond, perhaps; wasn't doing it intentionally, but Connor was. She kept her mouth shut though. She felt grateful of the protection-secretly. They had with them their platinum swords-not the steel as it never hurt the Vampirates-but platinum COULD be injurious to them.

Natalie felt the hilt of the one she carried on her waist band. It was cool and sharp.

She was feeling excited and truly alert now. She hadn't fed-which was NOT wise at all-but it wasn't hurting her now and she knew it wouldn't till another few days or so.

As soon as she landed on the white sand, the ground appeared to be attracting her body towards the east-into the trees. It was like a strong magnetic force which she found hard to ignore. Apparently no one was feeling it, she'd asked the other two and they felt fine.

"You're not like us" Ray reminded her wryly.

"Watch out for the signs that might lead us o Grace And Lorcan", Connor said to them. He was leading the search team. No one knew where the Vampirate Captain was at the moment.

The island was so silent that she began to doubt that there were animals in there. The trees were bare and the night made them look like spooky beings growing out of the hard ground of the Blood Diamond Island.

Natalie felt a strong sense of Deja vu. Yes, she'd been on an island before and her last experience hadn't been a good one. She'd had nightmares about it for almost half a year after Ray had scooped her up and ran away from Stukeley. If Ray hadn't…if Ray hadn't scooped her up…she hated to think what might have happened.

They had split up.

The three of them were on their own now, still lingering to the shore.

"What now?", Natalie asked.

"Now, we search all around the outskirts of the island" Connor replied. "The most prominent clue of there being here will be the shore; don't ya think so, Ray?"

"Sounds good" he shrugged.

But before they could move, Natalie felt something.

Something that was chilling her to the bones.

Her breath slowed. Still, she couldn't see anything that might be triggering this. This wasn't hunger.

Beside her, Connor's hand went to his wooden sword, and Raymond did the same.

Connor had grown pale, and there was a hatred and betrayal in his face so deep that it frightened her. He swallowed, stepping in front of her.

"Connor? What is it?" she asked.

Ray backed up by her, his back touching hers, tensed. He clutched his rapier-like sword.

Surprised, she tried to step around Connor. Over his shoulder, she could see that…

. They were surrounded.

Another crew .The very one they'd glimpsed when they were at the Nocturne. The menacing immortals that had pools of fire instead of eyes. They were the animals.

Not at all gentle like the crew of the Nocturne-well, like most of them.

Natalie's hand slipped around her waist band and onto the hilt of her epée. The only steel sword was carried by her.

"Get rid of them" said a silky soft voice. It was growling-but so softly. It raised Goosebumps on her skin.

And then everything was just chaos. Connor threw off a Vampirate who'd lashed out at him, Raymond kicking another one off, snarling so unearthly.

A cold hand gripped Natalie's neck, and dragged her away from the two of them. Natalie swished her epée into his arm, crying out. He dodged, laughing, and twisted her arms behind her back easily. Natalie kicked, turning her body skillfully in his direction and her momentum caught him off guard.

Seizing her chance, she twirled her sword, gripping it tighter, and dug it deep into his chest. He cried out angrily, releasing her, clutching his wound. Natalie could see his fangs.

"Stop!"

The Vampirate was recovering. He snarled, baring his fangs at her, and leapt at her.

Natalie stepped out of his way.

"NATALIE! Watch out!" Ray cried as The Vampirate swung out his arm, wrapping his fingers around her wrist, pulling her forward.

Natalie gasped painfully. Her sword fell in the sand.

"NATALIE!" Connor yelled from somewhere.

Her eyes watered, as he threw her back, on the sand. Her ankle twisted, and then suddenly, she screamed.

His fangs were like daggers. She couldn't bare such agony. Black spots flashed in her vision. Pain throbbed up and down her neck.

"I said STOP!" somebody gripped the collar of the Vampirate who clung to her and was pushing her down. The one who'd shouted to stop yanked the wild Vampirate off her.

"They don't belong to the Blood Captain!" he snarled dangerously and fear clawed at Natalie's neck, choking her. Her hands were bloody but her vision cleared. She felt her power returning to her limbs.

Connor and Ray were restrained by the Vampirate crew. Connor's lip was bleeding, but other wise he was okay. Raymond was alright too.

Natalie still lay on the sand. She longed to reached for her blade, but was afraid to make sudden movements.

But the one who'd just saved her wasn't paying any attention to her.

Natalie suddenly lunged for the fallen sword.

"Oh, no, I don't think so" The leader smirked, kicking it out of her reach. Natalie watched helplessly as her sword landed at another Vampirate's feet and she scooped it up securely, triumphantly. Her features were of a very pretty Chinese girl.

Connor was struggling with his captors. Ray was too, though he knew it was useless. There was worry and concern in his eyes as he saw her.

_Don't loose hope._His eyes told her_. __Don't get scared._

Finally, Natalie raised her face to the leader who'd just saved her.

He was staring back at her as if seeing her just now.

His eyes widened. His mouth turned down painfully.

Shock coursed through her body. She wanted to run away. Adrenaline rushed through her veins.

Natalie realized with a combination of fear and anger and hatred that she was staring at Jez Stukeley's face.

……………………………..

**Voila! **

**Hope ya like it enough though I know I should've explained a little more…but I was just so excited! **

**ANGELINAFUREY: Girl, you've GOT to review me this time!**

**SHADOWHUNTER: Hope this was what you've been waiting for!**

**Keep waiting for more surprises!**

**ASHTON: Where are ya? Why ain't I getting' yer reviews matey?**

**SONGS THAT FIT:**

**Evanescence-Whisper**

**Evanescence-My immortal life**

**Evanescence-Bleed**

**Plus all the theme songs for my characters!**

_The next chapter might come in a little later than this one cause I'll be away from my Dear Laptop…*__SNIFFS__*…but there are a dozen more surprises( I think) that I'll write before this Fic ends. Yes, this Fic will be a long one, but not that long. The last scenes will be either written at the Nocturne or the Sanctuary ( God Knows). Anyways,_

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_**It'll be more appreciated if you give a nice REVIEW.**_

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	26. Chapter 26

**I'm Back and then I'll be gone again, so enjoy what I wrote in total two hours in a hurry!**

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**GRACE**

Her breathing was shallow, and it was really quiet. She was sprawled on a really soft surface, something like…a mattress.

Her mind was so sluggish. What had happened?

Dreaming again, she thought, relaxing. Her imagination had gotten the best of her this time. What was that about? Lorcan would never hurt her on purpose. She should know that. And no stupid dreams could ruin her belief.

Grace opened her eyes, expecting to see the familiar walls of her cabin on the Nocturne. Well, she'd been expecting many things and what she saw was a shock to her.

The ceiling was low and worn. Chains hung out from it and Grace could just see a pair of rusted hand cuffs dangling from it.

Grace sat up suddenly, terrified. Where-what-how?

Not a dream then, she thought sadly. It had already started to come back.

The room was unfamiliar and somehow hostile. There was no other furniture in the cold room except the bed. She couldn't even see the floor. It was so dirty, with blood stains, oil and dust. There were even burn marks on the wood. A terrible smell hit her nose, of death.

Grace stood up and saw that she was wearing the same clothes she'd worn the night when the storm had tipped the ship…was it tipped or was it her imagination again? Because the Nocturne never sank. She'd just slipped. Before that, she couldn't remember much of it at all. She just remembered showing him her hand which she'd accidentally cut and then…her heart sank. He'd made another two cuts of his own.

And then it was all blank.

Til…now.

Grace got the feeling of being caged. Her heart thudded wildly as she went to the door. As she'd expected, she was locked in. Like her first time on the Nocturne.

Her fingers curled around the door handle and she yanked it again with all her might. She twisted it this way and that. She even tried to push it. It was solid as a rock and didn't even budge.

Grace began to pound on it with all her might.

"Let me out!"

There was just silence. Frantically, Grace stepped back and then kicked at the door. A heavy feeling of dread pressed down upon her. This room was so cold!

Grace tried to pull the door open again, and failing.

She didn't give up. She looked around, looking for anything that might serve as a key. Nothing. There was not even a window. Only a candle burned dimly at the bed's foot. A quarter of it remained.

Exhausted, Grace slumped down on the bed in despair. She was so hungry and tired. Her hands ached

The time went by slowly. Anxious, Grace pounded at the door again. His time, she heard footsteps stop outside her door. She pounded at it with new energy.

"Let me out!", she yelled.

Surprisingly, she heard the key turn the lock. She sprang back, her breath caught in her throat.

The door opened and a familiar person entered the room.

He hadn't changed at all.

"Well, look what we have here", Johnny Desperado said in surprise. "How did ya get in here, Girl?"

And he didn't recognize her at all!

"Johnny!" Grace exclaimed her hand to her chest, nearly toppling over the narrow bed.

Johnny squinted at her. "What…?"

Years ago, during her very first visit at the Sanctuary, she'd become Johnny's friend. At that time Johnny had been learning to control his thirst. But suddenly he'd changed and had early killed her. Grace had tried to stop him from going to the Blood Captain but he hadn't listened and had left to join the new crew of the Blood Captain.

"Who are ya and what the hell are ya doin' on the Blood Captain?" he demanded, bewildered at her expression. "I've seen ya before"

"Well_, I _have! Now get away from my way!" Grace yelled bravely, and sprinted out of the room, ducking under his arm.

"Hey!" he cried out. "Come back here!"

Grace only increased her speed. She ran to the end of the corridor. Johnny was going to catch up on her.

Her heart beating fast, Grace looked frantically for the stairs that would lead her up to the Deck but found none. Instead, her eyes found yet another corridor.

She ran through it, and without really thinking, chose a door at random and sought refuge inside.

Grace gasped quietly as she found out that the room was pitch black. She was scared that…something might sense her in here…

Grace leaned against the door-breathing as quietly as possible. She listened hard for Johnny. He wasn't out there.

With relief, Grace let out her breath and then sucked it back in.

The room-it reeked of decay. Feeling herself sicken, she pressed herself against the door.

_Ugh…what was that?!_

Grace heard a thump.

Right outside the door.

The handle turned, and the person pushed against the door.

"I know you're in there!", Johnny growled.

There was no lock. Grace pushed herself hard against it.

With a burst of energy, the door banged open, and Grace was thrown down hard on the floor.

Grace tasted blood in her mouth.

"Yep", Johnny chuckled, standing at the open door, watching her recover. "Knew ya were here"

Grace quickly rolled onto her feet, slightly dizzy.

"Now", Johnny said, smiling hugely. "Ya tell me why I've never seen ya before"

Grace stared at him in shock. Suddenly, all her fears drained out of her. He'd forgotten her!

Grace knew that if she remained calm, she would figure a way out…

So Grace returned Johnny's gaze confidently, but did not reply him.

"Well?"

"Do you seriously not know me?"

"No"

"You never did and never will then"

Anger twisted in Grace. She'd tried to stop him from going to the wrong way but he'd shied her away. He was not her friend anymore. She wanted to get out of here.

"Where did you come from?" his voice turned brisk, business like. "Because none of the crew members sneak in humans in here anymore and Captain would've told me if he'd brought _you _in"

"I was going to ask the same question"

"Huh?"

"I don't know how I…got here" Grace was careful not to let anything give away. It was probably better if he didn't recognize her. Where were the others? There was no noise. So quiet and cold down here. She was getting spooked.

Johnny was frowning very hard at her which made her uncomfortable. He took a step towards her. Grace stepped back, her heart beating fast.

"Can you show me where the…um, exit is?" Grace asked, praying that he was stupid enough to let her go.

"I think not", Johnny's dark eyes were changing. They grew lighter, a shade of fire. "I smell blood" he rasped.

Uh-ho.

Grace gulped.

"And" Johnny was advancing her now. There was no escape. she couldn't fool him now…

"I think I know you" his upper canine teeth lengthened as he spoke, growing into fangs…gleaming knives…

He'd tried to kill her once and Lorcan had saved her…no one was going to help her now.

Grace's back pressed against the wall.

"How about some sharing now, and less talking Grace Tempest"

Her scream shattered the quiet atmosphere.

…………………………………………….

He sat in a dark corner, grieving. Well, what could he do exactly? This cold room just reminded him of what he'd done. The darkness pressed him from all the sides like some sort of deep depression cloud.

He could not make out any sort of light in here. Where was he? It looked like a grave to him.

He almost laughed. He'd died so many centuries ago, and yet had never even thought of a grave! How ironic it seemed when he was immortal, he was indirectly wishing…no maybe he _wasn't_ but it certainly _seemed_ as if he was wishing for death.

The terrible guilt was eating him from the insides. He'd lost everything…

A scream.

That's what pierced through the silence of this nightmarish ship. He was jerked back to his senses, completely alert. The scream came again. This time it was pained.

Perhaps it was some another poor victim of Sidorio. Who knew? He couldn't do anything. His hands and feet were tied up with some very stiff and strong material.

He tried to twist his hands free but only felt a terrible stab of pain.

Hopeless.

He started to relax. A whiff of something caught his attention again.

_Blood_

That scent was quickly diffusing into his prison. It was maddening. Not only because it was blood. He'd tasted it. He knew whose it was. His heart sped up as agony twisted inside him. Despite the fact that he felt so completely lost and sad, he wanted to help her. He struggled to get himself free.

………………………..

"C'mon, walk faster, you filth" the Vampirate said, pushing Kenyon hard.

"Hey!' he protested.

"Shut it"

"But-"

"I SAID SHUT _UP!_"

_Short-tempered, impatient, twisted-_

Kenyon's bitter train of thought broke as he saw the Vampirate-_ugly_ Vampirate, push Lisa too.

"Stop pushing her!" he yelled angrily.

Lisa was frail and so weak. Her mane of tangled hair fell on her face as she struggled to walk faster. Kenyon new that she couldn't. She'd been deprived of blood for so long. He could barely stand himself. Black spots danced before his eyes.

The ship was far away, and Kenyon couldn't even catch a glimpse of it through the thick trees of this island. The sand was whitish, and damp. Its smell strangely irritated his nose. Kenyon didn't know where Will was supposed to be.

He'd nearly been unconscious when he'd heard the door of their room creak open. Then he remembered that they were hauled to their feet and out of the ship. Kenyon had no idea where they were taking him. He didn't care about anything except…

A low squeak of pain.

Kenyon tried to focus but couldn't. His vision was so blurred, his mind so disoriented…

He was struggling when he felt a sudden rush of hot hair ruffle his clothes and hair. He didn't know what was happening, but he heard terrible cries of agony. They were inhuman-and he couldn't place whom they belonged to. But he didn't like it. He wanted to hide from these screams that were rattling his soul from within-if he had a soul, that is.

He sensed the panic stir within the crew of the Blood Captain. The ones holding him released him and ran away.

"Go, save yourselves!"

"FIRE! FIRE! IT BURNS!"

Kenyon blinked, but his vision was getting worse. A sharp smell burned his nose. He sensed heat pressing on him. He couldn't escape the fire…he was going to die…

Despair choked him and he coughed.

"Lisa! Lisa, were are you?" he cried desperately. The heat was stinging his skin now, and his eyes watered, completely blinding him. He couldn't…

"Here, grab on to my arm", he heard a slightly cockney accent of a woman. The instant later he felt her hand on his arm. He swayed, unsure.

"But Lisa's still here, she's going to die-" he pleaded.

The woman was already quickly pulling him out of danger. She didn't stop. Kenyon tried to fight her, but he was very weak.

"She's dead"

Those two words tore him from the inside.

"No!"

She didn't speak again, but kept on pulling him along. He could hear her pant.

He felt his legs give away.

"Help, Roger!", she cried, panicking.

Kenyon lost his consciousness within seconds after that and he knew no more.

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**Well, this is what I can do for now! Hope you liked it though I honestly think That I should've made it a little bit longer. Anywae, revw, wil ya? :)**

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	27. Chapter 27

**This is totally bo-oring but this is all I can write at the Mo. The next chap could be written after a few weeks, months or even years (HAHA) JK.**

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Natalie was frozen for a second or two. It seemed as if everything had frozen with her.

Stukeley was same as she'd last seen him, except clean of all the blood and his hair was cut shorter than before. That creepy predatory aura still hung around him. Natalie was afraid of him-she discovered this just now. She'd never gotten over her this fear for three years…

He didn't seem to be doing a good job to hide his surprise himself. His eyes were sort of unfocused at first. Then they focused sharply on her's and his face softened.

"Stukeley?" she whispered

He extended a deathly white hand towards her.

For a moment Natalie wanted to accept his offer and get up with his help but then her pride took over her actions. He'd tortured thousands of those poor humans, hurt everyone she knew, Darcy, Connor, Bart (Connor's best friend), the Vampirate Captain…who knew how many more people's dreams and hopes he'd shattered? Natalie, ignoring his hand, got up from the sandy ground by herself, her face set hard.

His face was completely devoid of any emotion, which surprised her.

Then Stukeley's face hardened, as if in response to her's, and he dropped the hand he'd offered. He was fully alert, she could sense that, so she tensed too.

"Leave them alone", Stukeley commanded to the others. At once, the crew released Connor and Raymond.

Connor, Natalie watched out of the corner of her eye, drew out his old rapier. Where did he get that? He hadn't been carrying that along, had he?

Stukeley continued to ignore Connor's action. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at Raymond. Raymond glared back evenly, but didn't dare try to attack him…yet.

"You guys should-"

Stukeley's sentence was cut off by a loud scream. It came from a deeper part of the forest. Then everything happened so quickly that Raymond pulled Natalie out of the path just in time.

A dozen swords came flying out of the trees to greet them. They were all stained in blood, Natalie saw in a slow motion. Everyone dodged them, bewildered. No one had expected that another crew was present here.

Just as Stukeley dodged a second sword hurled at him, Connor, white with rage, attacked him.

Stukeley responded to Connor's attack with sheer force, his own blade clashing with his former best friend's.

Natalie saw Stukeley sneer for the first time in her life.

"Think I've lost it, do you?" he snarled at Connor, resisting Connor's attacks easily. "You can't defeat the one who taught you sword fighting, Tempest!"

"We'll see about that then" Connor grunted..

Just then, strange-and horribly familiar people began to appear at the edges of the forest…

_Crew of the Blood Captain_, she realized with horror.

The ones who'd killed her…

But then, who were the ones Stukeley had just been commanding?

No time to find out.

She'd lost Raymond in the middle of the fighting pairs when all of this chaos had started. Carefully avoiding more attacks, she started to edge away, looking desperately for her sword…

Natalie couldn't find it anywhere. The white sand was already flecked with crimson blood-that looked inky black in the darkness. She was hardly aware of the fact that she was bleeding from the neck, and it would attract a lot of attention before someone jumped on her from behind.

She screamed, her nails digging into the thick arms of the creature, whatever it was.

"Did anyone tell you how nice you smell?"

All the blood drained out of Natalie's face as she heard that smooth, silky voice.

"Seems like my plan didn't work after all" Sidorio said, turning Natalie's shocked body around to face him. He was whiter than ever, with his same flashing golden fangs and black hole-like eyes. His expression was twisted in anger and hunger.

Natalie shuddered.

"Why, you've grown up" Sidorio laughed a mirthless laugh that made her heart stopped painfully.

Natalie squirmed.

"Let me go" she said weakly.

"Hmm, let me think about that", Sidorio said in a low voice and instead of loosening his grip on her, he tightened his hold on her. Sidorio smiled as he twisted both of her arms behind her in a swift motion. Natalie cried out in pain, twisted and kicking.

_Aim at his shins!_ She told herself.

She did but missed.

His thick hands were twisting her arms at an odd angle. Her arms were getting painful by the second. She glanced down, searching for any weapon she could use against him.

Miraculously, her sword, almost concealed by the sand, lay a few feet away from them.

But Sidorio wasn't waiting and no one was certainly coming for her rescue, so she tried to think while resisting where ever he was roughly dragging her.

_Surprise him!_

She, instead of trying to pull away from him, threw her whole weight against him. He hadn't been expecting that, and for just a fraction of a second, his grip loosened on her. It was all she needed.

Natalie pulled away, her arms throbbing painfully, and raced towards the sword.

She wasn't going to make it…he had recovered from her attack.

Natalie dived.

His fingers wrapped around her ankle, and at the same time, dragged her towards him. Natalie grabbed helplessly for the sword, catching nothing but sand in her hands.

"NO!" she yelled, kicking her feet at him.

He only laughed and now resumed dragging her away from the battlefield.

The joints of her legs screamed in protest. She groaned, still trying helplessly to reach something, _anythin_g to use against him.

But in her heart, she knew she was doomed.

………

Connor knew that his anger was drained now. It had only been an impulsive attack, and he had to admit that Jez-Stukeley still mastered the art of sword fighting.

But Connor didn't try to stop. Neither of the men spoke, and their clashing swords spoke for them.

Stukeley was fighting with three of his opponents at the same time yet winning. He thrust Connor's rapier away to strike one of another Vampirate's sword, which had been pretty close to Connor's neck.

Connor noticed this, but then thinking that it was only his imagination, continued his attempts to thrust his blade into Stukeley's body.

The fights speed increased, and gradually rose to its climax. Stukeley groaned, and then as quickly as lightening, buried his sword in the Vampirate's chest who was closing on him. Stukeley's knee jerked up and he kicked away the fallen Vampirate, and then with an amazing force, pushed Connor away as if he was just a fly, annoying him.

Connor backed, panting, and did not try to join them again. He was surprised. Stukeley hadn't even tried to kill him. All he'd do was use a counter-attack against him.

He watched, transfixed, as Stukeley finished the remaining vampire, and without looking at him, asked:

"Where did she go?"

His voice was deprived of any emotion. His flat voice somehow seemed strange to Connor. Jez Stukeley's old laugh was echoing in his mind, bugging him.

"Who?" Connor found himself ask.

"Natalie"  
Oh. So he was after her. Something dark clawed inside Connor's chest.

"Why would you want to find her?" his voice was suspicious and angry now.

W hat did he want anyway? Why was he …_un-stukeleyish?_

"I don't know" Connor replied truthfully. But then he added, "If I knew, I wouldn't tell you anyway"

Connor saw a grin appear on Stukeley's face but he still didn't face him.

"Alright then" was his reply. "I'll find her myself"

Stukeley, as if on cue, received a swishing sword. He ducked.

Connor shook his head. He was irritated.

Then a surprise came.

No one attacked him.

Connor felt that unnecessary fury building up inside him again. What was wrong? Why didn't they approach him?

His eyes searched the fighting pairs again, but with no sign of neither Ray nor Nat. What was he going to do?

He was feeling something start in his chest. A deep feeling of hopelessness and fear.

Grace needed him.

But the question was, where was she?

…………………………

:(


	28. Chapter 28

**In a hurry....I've got only TEN MINUTES!**

**.................................  
**

Stukeley's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on his sword. The woman behind his sword was trembling with fear, her teeth sharp and threatening, her eyes glowing with malice.

"Let me go, Stukeley!", she pleaded. "We've known each other for such a long time! Remember what a good time we had!"

Stukeley felt his mouth twist into a smile.

"But those days are gone", he said softly.

Amelia's eyes darkened but she forced a smile on her pale lips. "We can change the time. We'll-we'll be-"

Stukeley hissed, revealing his own teeth. He hated that look. That look made half the humans hypnotized. But it didn't even affect him anymore.

"It's over" he finally said. "It was over many years ago. I don't care what will happen to you anymore"

"It's because of that filth, isn't it?" Amelia was frantic, but she couldn't keep in her disgust, he could see that very clearly.

"What?"

"Oh, don't act like you know!" Amelia hissed. "That-that half-breed that came overboard on our ship three years ago-I watched you, Stukeley. You didn't even say good-bye to me when you left! That scum did something to you!"

Anger flooded in Stukeley's handsome features. He thrust the sword to the sultry woman's throat, and he could see tiny beads of blood gather there. She squirmed, but did not stop talking, which could've saved her life.

"Jealous?" Stukeley sneered.

She gasped, her face twisted in anger and disgust.

"What happened to you? She's too young! You dirty-"

Stukeley couldn't help it. As he watched, his hand, it seemed tightened on the blade as he slowly cut her throat out.

He felt no disgust at what he'd done. That Vampirate wasn't of a good character either. Even from the start, he'd felt as if he was meeting a sewer rat.

The body slipped down as he moved back from the wall of the hallway, staining the wall behind it in an ugly shade of red.

Stukeley moved away, without looking back.

"Let go of me!"

His body tensed as he heard that scream. That voice he'd been searching for.

He'd found his way into his former ship because he'd seen his ex-captain dragging her in the direction of the ship, the _Blood Captain_.

Now, as he tried to listened, he heard her angry cries.

"Get-your-hands-off-me!" she spoke each word through clenched teeth.

He heard Sidorio laugh.

"Not now, not ever" he declared.

With that, he slammed the door shut and stalk up the stairs.

With his heart beating wildly and adrenalin rushing through his veins, he turned around the corner and quietly started to make his way towards his goal.

.......................

**Next time it's gonna be a longer one, I promise!!!**


	29. Chapter 29

**This is it...**

Grace's scream died away, replaced by a frightened moan. It was over, she couldn't fight him off now. She shut her eyes in pain.

She'd failed.

Johnny's sharp teeth were somehow worse than white-hot knives. Her vision blurred as she felt tears roll down her cheeks...she was alone this time.

No one to help her tonight.

What would happen to Connor when…? She blinked away her tears, and thought of Connor in agony pained her even more and yet gave her the last strength to survive.

"Let go off me, Johnny"

Her voice was husky, and Grace herself couldn't recognize it. Johnny just grunted in reply.

Just then, something snapped in her. The world was a blur of moving shadows and blood, and she felt her feet give way. A terrible scream ripped its way from her throat as pain stabbed her from everywhere.

Johnny gasped, and fell back, his eyes wide.

The ship suddenly lurched to one side, smashing him into her. Just as she tried to push him away, the ship lurched to the other side and Johnny slipped away, falling over his back.

"Whoa…" he exclaimed.

The ship was tilting faster now, and Grace heard thunderclap in some distance.

And then it was all over.

And Grace feared what more lay ahead.

Jez Stukeley heard the girl's helpless screams from the next corner. He heard cruel laughter.

He turned away in disgust.

He knew exactly what was going on in there-and he hated to think about it at the moment, because he dreaded that they were doing the same thing to Natalie.

His mind searched for her. He was just going to resume his search for the Half-Vampire when the ship rocked to his left. His shoulder banged against the wall. Then when it rocked to another side, he was more prepared and didn't loose his footing.

_Must be a storm_, he thought absently.

The he heard quick footsteps and fast breathing.

Instinctively, Jez leaned to the darkest corner of the already dimmed corridor and braced himself for the attack.

But what he saw made him lower his sword slightly and let the guy pass.

He had a shock of black hair and wild blue eyes. He looked thin and...underfed.

Must be a Nocturne dweller, Jez thought, managing to suppress an unexpected snicker.

The boy's ashen face remained cautious as he made his away to the end of the corridor. Jez noticed several really bad looking bruises on his arms-which probably symbolized his struggle.

The guy should've noticed him, which he did not. Jez merely assumed he was going towards where the screams of a girl had been coming a little moment ago.

When the black-haired boy was gone, Jez started towards Natalie again. He reached out to her, trying to detect her presence behind anyone of the nearby doors.

It was all quiet now, and Jez felt a strange sensation-as if he was being watched. But he couldn't sense anyone-anyone who would want to attack him anyway.

His heart raced faster as he heard quiet, labored breathing behind a door. He was alert and he was careful to open the door slowly or he could scare her.

_There_, he thought ruefully.

Was Sidorio in there? No, Jez didn't think so. He could've sensed the powerful aura of the big, horrifying Captain anywhere.

He drew in his breath.

"Natalie?" he whispered.

Silence.

Then:

"Go away" came her muffled voice.

**Phew. So little time, so much to do.**


	30. Chapter 30

**So sorry for the delay. I hope this makes it up to you guys!**

……………………………**..**

Jez pursed his lips as he looked at the empty corridor, his ears searching for a kind of sound that might warn him about an intruder. There was none, so he beckoned Natalie to him. She started to follow him, uncertainly at first, but now he noticed that her face was determined. She'd believed him when he'd told her that he wouldn't hurt her.

Natalie gripped his arm, peeking from behind his shoulder.

"You hear that?" she whispered.

Jez listened.

A soft muffling sound was coming from a door ahead.

The same room where he'd heard a girl's screams before. He didn't like to think what could be going on in there. He knew only too well.

"Yeah" he said quietly. "But we can't do anything about it. C'mon"

He started past the room, but Natalie didn't follow. She crept closer to the door, listening.

"Sounds like…"

Immediately, he sensed danger.

"NO!"

At the same time, the door burst open, and the Vampirate grabbed Natalie by the neck, and forced her down on the floor.

She cried out, surprised.

Jez growled, anger flooding in his veins. He pointed his sword at –

Johnny Desperado.

His eyes were wide with shock as he gaped at Jez. Behind him came a weak moan.

"Stukeley?"

"Johnny?"

"Where the hell did ya disappear off to?" Johnny exclaimed. He looked down at Natalie, recognizing her too. Then he seemed to understand. His features tightened in anger.

"Why, you big-", he managed to sputter before Jez slammed him against the opposite wall. Now Johnny was even more astonished.

Johnny struggled helplessly but Jez's grip tightened on him. He was a lot stronger than before, Jez noticed, but he managed to pin him to the wall anyway.

Jez could see the red-head girl sprawled on the floor, covered in blood from head to feet, staring at them blankly.

Natalie gasped suddenly, making Jez turn slightly in her direction.

"Get the hell outta here!" he warned her.

She completely ignored him, and rushed to the fallen girl's side.

"Grace? Grace!" She cried.

The girl moved, blinking up at them, confused.

"Wha…wha happened?" She mumbled.

Johnny snarled at Jez, throwing himself at him. Jez stumbled back, trying to regain his balance.

Johnny lunged at him again, knocking _him_ against the wall now. The sword slipped out of his and clattered on the floor. Pain exploded in Jez's head, and for a moment, he saw red.

Johnny had his sword now, and pure fury contorted his pale face. He jabbed the sword at Jez, who just managed to dodge it.

"You think you'd get away without paying the price, right?" he grumbled furiously. "Well, ya won'. I'll make sure of it, ya great big son of a-"

Jez kicked him in the ribs, and Johnny let out a painful gasp, as he fell.

Natalie had her arm around the girl's waist and she was trying to get her out of here. But she herself was injured, and needed help.

Jez couldn't, of course, help her because Johnny had recovered. Jez was unarmed, but stood his ground, making up his mind.

"C'mon, hurry!" he yelled at Natalie. He blocked Johnny, his heart racing wildly. He had to get Natalie out…it was his aim.

He wouldn't let her die, even if it was the last thing he did.

Johnny chuckled.

"I knew somethin' was wrong the mo _she _arrived", he jerked his head in Natalie's direction. "Ya were never the same"

He swung the sword in Jez's direction. He missed.

Growling with frustration, he glared at his former friend.

"Looks like I'll be dealing with you the old fashioned way"

Jez grinned at him. "Big talks, Desperado. But never the big brains"  
Insulted, Johnny attacked him again. Jez fell flat on his back due to Johnny's weight. Johnny roared in triumph and hit Jez full on the mouth with his stone-hard fist. Blood spurted from Jez's lower lip but he was oblivious to it. He grabbed Johnny's fist as it came down at him again, and twisted it away. He grabbed the other hand too. Johnny's teeth sharp as draggers, suddenly cut Jez. Pain shot through Jez's shoulder.

So it was a bite fight.

Jez grinned again.

He'd missed this so much.

He felt his own incisors sharpen, and he snapped at Johnny. Missed.

Jez dug his knee into his stomach and twisted away from under him.

Johnny snarled, attempting to cut open Jez's jugular vein-which he knew would paralyze him for a moment-

Jez's arms were now pinned down tightly beside his torso, and he cried out painfully.

He couldn't do anything.

Trapped.

Jez attempted escape again, and received searing white-hot pain in his shoulder again.

He knew what happened if one Vampirate bit another, or bled him or her to death…

Death.

Jez cried out in pain again, this time a ragged moan of pain burst out of his throat. What had become of Johnny in all these years? He was so much tougher, and stronger.

Jez stared at Johnny.

He'd become an animal.

His face was human, but the expression on it was no way near human.

It was a mask of absolute madness. Yeah, hat was what excess blood did to you. Less blood made you go mad, so did the blood in excess. Jez could see it now, the curse that had taken over their bodies.

Johnny managed a tear at his neck. Jez growled in anger, and kicked his feet in the air, throwing Johnny off him. Jez, seizing his opportunity, and now completely overcome by murderous anger, lunged at him.

It was a bloody fight, two males fighting for territory. One had to win, the other had to loose. The loser had to die. So in a way, it was a fight for survival.

But before Jez could attempt anything, Johnny had yet again, recovered, and hit Jez full on the chest, which was his weakest point.

Jez was going to loose now. He was certain of it.

He heard a strangled cry from behind him, and before he knew it, Johnny fell away from him, out cold in a puddle of dark blood.

His sword was jammed in his chest, and she still clung to it, breathing hard.

Jez fell back, unstable on his feet. Dizziness was weakening him.

"C'mon, Stukeley", Natalie said, tugging at his arm. "We have to get out of here"

Jez tried to stand. His wounds were still bleeding, making him weaker. But he didn't loose focus.

"Alright"

She helped him stand, and then they trooped out.

"Where did that girl go?" Jez asked, looking around. "The one you were just helping out?"

"Grace?" She asked. "I got her out. Lorcan was waiting for her"

"You mean she was _Grace Tempest_?" Jez asked, bewildered. "Man, she's grown since I last saw her"  
She'd grown so much that he hadn't even recognized her! He remembered how she'd first come onboard the _Diablo._ She'd never been able to fit with the pirates.

As they climbed up the deck, he felt much better. The cool sea breeze hit him full in the face. He was enjoying the sensation when he suddenly felt that something was wrong. There was no one fighting in his sight anymore. The bank looked deserted. The heavy silence except the waves seemed to press him from all the sides-and then he knew.

"They know" he whispered. He was disappointed to see that his sword was still down with Johnny. Both of them-Natalie and he was unarmed. And it looked like they were surrounded.

Natalie, however, failed to see that anything was wrong. She went over to one of the ropes hanging down to the waters.

"Natalie, wait!"

She looked at him, surprised.

"We can't go down, they're waiting for us!" Jez said, striding towards her. "This's an ambush"

"I don't know" Natalie said, her face hardened. "I'm going to look for my brother. He might need me"

"Your _brother_? What in the whole wide world would your _brother_ need from _you_?" he asked heatedly.

He saw a glint of anger in her blue-green eyes.

She turned and swung a leg over the rail, ignoring him. Then another.

Now he was angry. Why didn't she just listen? that brother of hers could probably defend himself better than her. Sometimes, these girls were so stubborn.

"You won't" He said in a cold voice, and grabbed her arms. She cried out in surprise, flinching at his cold touch. Jez ignored her squirming and lifted her easily over the rail and back on the deck again. She hit him on the shins.

"You jerk" she said furiously, rubbing her arms when he released her.

"Look" he said, turning her around to face the trees.

A strange light was steadily filling up the dark forest. It was of a bright yellow-orange color, like flames. Heat made them suddenly feel uncomfortable. Then she slowly walked over the rail, and he knew she wasn't going to jump over this time. At least he knew.

"Natalie? What's wrong?"

Her face ashen, she suddenly screamed as she saw two figures fighting.

A beautiful blonde girl and a red-haired teenaged boy. Struggling.

The girl thrust a glinting sword at the boy's chest. He cried out as blood surged out of his wound.

"NO!" Natalie shouted, tears streaming down her face. "Not RAY!"

* * *

**That's it for now!!!**


	31. Chapter 31

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

**Hi guys. I thought to write a little note to tell you that I may not be able to post the nexty very soon. My exams are coming, and yeah, the teachers are hell bent on making us go mad by studying. So I thought that I'd have a very little time to write the chapters onward. Oh yeah, the next chapter will be the last for this fic, so it'll be the longest one I'd write and it'd be my favorite. Of course, there's no guarantee WHEN I'll finish it...it could be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow...**

**Any how, this is what I wrote write now in my notebook a few days ago and it was staring at me, saying:**

_You gonna post me or what?!_** So here goes...**

**THE FALL OF THE SHADOWS**

Connor Tempest was bleeding. He was sprawled on his back, and the awful pain in his leg was getting worse by the second. He breathed carefully and very slowly. He knew the Vampirates were tying his arms and legs together and ready to take him where ever they wanted to. They thought that he was knocked out. How dumb they were. Shouldn't they turn him over to check him? They'd never even think of it. Connor wasn't sure why they were tying him up though. Maybe Sidorio had ordered them to. Well, if he had, Connor was very, very sure that he'd kill him. He didn't care that he was his father; as long as he was concerned, the only true fatherly figure in his life was of Dexter Tempest. But he was gone now, so that meant that Connor-at least he thought he was an orphan. No, the only family he had was Grace.

Connor was sometimes really impressed by the way she loved challenge. Grace wasn't like that. Sure, she was a magnet for danger (Vampirates weren't exactly very humble and good-natured when it came to blood-and sure, they didn't love to giggle and talk about rainbows and dance under the moon-unless you counted the feast) but at least her life was at peace, considering that almost all of the crew liked her and Lorcan was always there to protect her. Connor, on the other hand, knew that his life was always in danger.

Natalie played a very important part in his life. They'd never talked much about anything except about sword-fighting. Her life was far more complicated than his or his sister's. Having a brother who was actually born a vampire was really strange.

"Tie that harder, ya great big oaf"

Connor felt the rope cut into his flesh and he had to bite his lower lip to gasp out loud. He kept his body motionless as he felt cold hands on him. He was already planning his technique to kill Sidorio-the one that had killed Natalie and activated her Vampire side. It could only be done when he allowed himself to play along with them.

The cold hands rolled him over. This was what Connor feared. His adrenalin level was so high that it was almost impossible to lay still and act as if he'd passed out. Three more pairs of hands caught him, and he was lifted in the air. The sharp pain in his leg brought tears in his eyes. He felt a hot boiling anger as he remembered what had happened. That dumpy ginger-haired girl had made a very deep gash on his right leg. It was still bleeding; and the warm blood soaked his pants. That stupid brainless git had really tried to cut his leg off.

Clunk. Something fell as they heaved him in a small row boat. A horrible stench filled his nose. Something had died here. Connor suddenly felt a terrible dread. Was he doing the right thing, allowing himself to be carried away by his enemies so easily? What if they didn't take him to Sidorio at all? What if Sidorio had ordered them to kill him? He was one against at least thirty of them-he had no chances.

But then he realized that they still had Grace. He'd seen Sidorio try to drag Natalie away, and she was no match against him. That meant they had her too. He had to get to them. Connor didn't know where Ray was-or in what condition he was in.

Connor certainly didn't trust Jez Stukeley., and he knew that Jez was keen to help Natalie.

_Probably to try to suck her dry again_, he thought wrathfully.

A steady pressure of the dry wood pressed against his thigh as they ship began to sail. The leeches were talking again, and the din unbearable.

"Plenty of blood-"

"Captain did promise you know-"

"D'ya think most of us will survive? "Cause honestly, I think they've trained better than us-"

"Oh, they don't think that"

"I don't know. I just-BLOOD!"

Connor felt the boat swerve violently as one of his captors tried to bite into his already injured leg. He gritted his teeth as stone-hard fingers grasped his ankle and tried to twist it. He heard the others try to restrain him. One of the others stood up to push Connor's attacker overboard. He heard a splash and the boat steadied.

"DON"T YA EVER TRY TO EAT HIS KID, YA GREAT BIG ASS!"

The guilty Vampirate mumbled something inaudible-Connor couldn't hear it though they could. Some of them chuckled mirthfully. Connor didn't know whether they let him onboard again.

It seemed like ages when these stinking parasites finally heaved him on the land.

Then he finally heard his father's voice.

"Well done" was all he said.

* * *

Jez Stukeley was jerked awake as she screamed, fighting him off. With any hesitation, Natalie Vivian Velde plunged headfirst into the waters below the deck. Jez dived in after her. He wasn't really sure why he was still tagging along with her at all.

The black waters quickly greeted him. Jez kicked up, returning to the surface to see the most hideous thing in his damned life.

The pale girl-Sugar Pie-was slicing the boy's throat out methodically.

Nausea choked Jez and he paused, looking away almost guiltily.

_I used to do that…_

No time to feel regret. Natalie was almost to the shore, her face ashen.

"RAY!" she screamed.

Sugar Pie looked up, and Jez could see that her features were covered with red. She bared her fangs at the other girl-who didn't stop. She was running towards her brother now.

"GET OFF HIM!"

Sugar Pie hooted with laughter and returned to her filthy work. Her knife slowly crept up to Natalie's brother's jaw.

Jez sucked in a breath and started to swim faster. Faster. Even faster than the fastest fish. The water blurred around him. Seconds were ticking away…

He was losing hope. He wasn't going to reach them in time and she would kill Natalie…

Jez didn't want her to die. Something unrecognizable was happening to him. Something unnamed. In his mind, he could almost feel the sun on him-not burning him-and teasing laughter…_Natalie_.

Jez was out of the water-

He was dashing across the sand…almost there…

Then the world fell apart.

Sugar-Pie laughed gleefully as she wrapped her long, bloody fingers around Natalie's throat. The boy's body fell on the sand with a dull thud and-

He spoke.

"Nat..a..lie...get…awa…"

Then there was a small explosion and Jez yelled in pain as the fire's light caught him in the eyes. Pain throbbed in Jez's body and he faltered. The boy-Ray was completely engulfed in tall bright flames. The fire quickly began to eat away his skin. He was dead.

A painful scream filled the air.

Natalie-still trapped in Sugar Pie's fingers, screamed, thick tears running down her cheeks.

"NO! No, _no_!"

Jez opened his eyes only a crack. The fire was still very bright but he could do it.

He was unarmed. He looked around and found nothing.

Sugar Pie grabbed Natalie by the hair.

"So you're the one! I knew you were! What did you do to Stukeley?" she bellowed at her, shaking her.

Natalie was crying too hard to answer. She looked like she was in shock.

"Filthy-"

Jez had to do something-but the fire-it would burn him or make him blind-

Fear flooded in him for the first time.

_You're a coward then._ Said a little voice in his mind. _She trusted you._

Natalie was helpless. Sugar Pie was hitting her-and Natalie's feeble attempts to defend herself were nothing. She'd die.

_You're life or her? THINK, FAST!_

Natalie cried out in pain, and Jez could almost see her incisors sharpening. Vampire…

No. If she was one then surely she could defend herself? But she wasn't-instead, she seemed to be dying. Her brother had been murdered in front of her eyes. How much stupid was he? She was still in shock.

Sugar Pie's fingers dug into Natalie's neck. Her skin was cut and thick red blood oozed out of her wound. Natalie closed her mouth I pain but nothing else.

Jez hesitated for only a second this time. The heat was agony, but he chose to ignore it. This was the time to win her over.

Natalie pushed Sugar Pie off her, her face now unrecognizable. She was so pale that she was whiter than white. Her teeth had extended, and there was an inhuman fury on her face. But the problem was that she was no match against the blond girl. Sugar Pie was just too powerful.

Jez smashed his body against Sugar Pie's, forcing her toward the fire. Heat on his own skin was agony, but he chose to ignore it. The fire was too bright for his eyes, and he could barely see Natalie trying to stand. She was doing a very bad job of it. Her clothes were in tatters, various cuts and bruises on her beautiful face.

"No!" she roared at Jez angrily. "She's mine! She killed Ray and I'm going to tear her to smithereens!"

Sugar Pie had recovered from her shock, and was playfully tugging at Jez's arm. Jez swung his arm back to hit her-never once in his life he'd hit a woman like that-but he'd killed probably millions of them anyway. Sugar Pie ducked, laughing.

"Came to help your little princess, then, did you? I was getting worried where you'd run off to!" she sang.

"She's nothing like a princess" Jez spat.

Sugar Pie grabbed his arm again-she was too fast for him-and the light wasn't affecting her at all. Jez grabbed her hair and tugged them so far that half of her hair came off. She screamed, blood sweeping her face, and her head was a reddish mass of raw tissue. She suddenly didn't look too beautiful now, he noticed happily.

Natalie didn't interrupt them-he knew why-she was searching for any kind of a weapon.

Sugar Pie's eyes were changing rapidly-going black-sinking deep into their sockets. She scratched at Jez as hard as she could. She tore at his shirt-bit him everywhere she could-but Jez realized that she wasn't yet interested in killing him. She kept her ugly eyes fixed upon Natalie's weak form. Jez was about to tear her throat out when her mouth opened wide and something-a black mist came out of her mouth. It burned his face like an acid, and he dropped her in pain. Sugar Pie's eyes rolled up as more mist came out of her blackened lips-attacking him.

Jez screwed his eyes shut. He could feel his eyebrows and hair burn. It was even worst than a fire. Sugar Pie laughed, and pushed him down. He was helpless now-he couldn't see very well-he was on fire-

Vaguely, he could see her starting out towards Nat, and breathe her black mist at her.

Pain seared up in his eyes. He couldn't loose hope now…Sugar Pie's laughs made him sick to his core.

But luck was on his side now. His hand collided with a blade, and he jerked back instinctively. He grabbed it's rough blade…he couldn't hold it very properly. His hand appeared to be burnt. With his last energy, he got up and ran at the creature, sinking the blade across her heart.

Natalie fell.

She was burnt as well.

Jez could see that she'd struck a knife at her at the same time as he did. Sugar Pie was unrecognizable. Jez knew that she wasn't dead yet because she was still on her feet, falling savagely at Natalie-determined to kill her.

Jez grabbed her by her remaining hair and jerked her back. Her neck snapped and she howled in pain. Hatred boiled in him. He could see what she'd done to him years ago now.

Sugar Pie had done something very bad to him that night. Something he shuddered to think about. That was why he'd been unconscious when Kenyon had found him at the shore.

She was a soul-eater. She sucked souls out of the humans-particularly the pirates who came to Ma Kettle's. She used the guys slowly, eating them up carefully. They all were infected and stupidly wanted her to continue killing them. That was why she was very popular among the pirates.

Sadly, she hadn't realized that Vampirates were just echoes. She'd admitted that she was fond of him so she'd tried to kill him too-but he couldn't be killed because h already was dead. He had no soul to begin with.

So she'd dumped him to drown. Another major mistake because Vampirates couldn't drown.

She'd heard why Jez had left _the Blood Captain_. She wanted revenge.

She was really stupid in Jez's opinion.

Because he and Natalie had shared a blood bond the moment Jez had bitten her on her resurrection night. And whoever bit her first that night won her blood.

That was why he hadn't been able to stop thinking of joining to her.

And as far as he was concerned, no one was going to kill Natalie.

Jez, with a powerful tug, twisted Sugar Pie's head off her neck and tossed it to the sand.

The body slumped down, seeping blood.

Natalie moaned in pain next to Sugar Pie's corpse. Jez sank down next to her.

"You okay?" he whispered.

Her eyes were flooding with tears.

"He's gone" she cried.

Tears leaked out of her eyes. She looked at him.

"You saved me" she said, her voice thick. "Why?"

Jez shook his head.

"I can't explain it right now" he said gently. "You need help. C'mon, I'll take you to my ship"

He helped her up, and she was near the point of fainting.

"The Nocturne" she said. "I want to go there"

"Alright" he said, tightening his grip on her. She was unstable and shivering.

Overhead, the clouds thundered and it began to rain. Natalie was still crying. He hugged her and said very gently,

"Look, the sky's crying too"

* * *

**REVIEW. **


	32. Epilogue

Here's a reward for you patience, I think:

* * *

EPILOGUE

**A FEW MONTHS LATER…**

"I'm alright, Stuke- mean, Jez", Kenyon protested halfheartedly as his friend dragged him away from the deck and down into the coolness of the corridor. "I've told you before, I want fresh air"

Jez shook his head, smiling slightly. "It isn't that, Ken. Someone wrote you a novel, by the looks of it"

From his pocket he took out a thick envelope. Kenyon started at his name written in spiky writing on the back. He blinked, and took it from his Captain's hands in bewilderment.

"Any idea who wrote to you?" Jez asked teasingly.

Kenyon was actually radiating heat. He was still staring at the envelope.

"It's from Darcy-Darcy Flotsam", Kenyon swallowed nervously. "Are you sure it isn't for you? She has no reason to write to me"

Jez shook his head." We were done ages ago, mate. Besides, Nat already told me why she wrote to you and begged me not to mention it to you".

Kenyon slowly tore off the top of the thick, heavily scented brown paper. He gingerly put his fingers inside and took out a neatly folded letter. He looked wary now.

"I swear I din't say anything to her", he confided in Jez. "She just took me to the Nocturne when I passed out a few months ago, when Lisa died. She took care of me till you came to fetch me and all I ever said to her was thanks"

Jez chuckled. "Good luck, then" and he walked away from Kenyon, whose eyes were zooming backwards and forwards on the letter. Jez went to his cabin, and stood in the doorway for a moment, feeling suddenly lonely. Of course he knew why Darcy had written to Kenyon-because Kenyon could easily charm a lady by just saying 'thanks'. She'd been talking about him ever since Jez had taken Natalie to her ship. It was nice that Darcy fancied Ken. It was a huge relief. At least, when he went to meet Natalie, he wouldn't have to face Darcy's tears and awkwardness. But she'd gotten over him, hadn't she?

It was good for both of them. For Ken, that mean he would get over Lisa's death; for Darcy, Jez would just be a…friend. Yes, he'd like that.

Jez looked at a photo frame sitting at his bedside table. It contained a picture of a girl with long dark hair, who was roaring with laughter, and was caught in the act of playfully punching Jez on the shoulder. Jez smiled softly, wishing that she was here with him.

He glanced at his old table sitting in the corner of the room. Should he inform her? He was yearning to see her. It'd been ages since he'd visited her. Of course, his arrival at the Nocturne was welcome. Jez felt deeply ashamed as he thought how he'd caused chaos on his first visit…when Sidorio was still out and about.

No one knew what happened between Sidorio and his son that night, and Connor Tempest had simply refused to tell them anything more except that his father was gone. To Jez the idea of Sidorio being dead seemed ironic because his former Captain wasn't the type who'd die. But again, no body had heard of him since that night. Not even his crew from the Blood Captain. Most of the ones from the ship who'd survived were now back at the Sanctuary. Johnny Desperado wasn't among them. His body-if he'd died, hadn't been recovered-or the ashes. People believed that he'd just flee.

What Jez thought was that he was with Sidorio, if he was alive. Connor wouldn't talk to Jez yet. It annoyed Jez, but he knew Connor wouldn't be like that for ever…part of him thought the reason Connor avoided Jez or merely glared at him was his friendship with Natalie. Perhaps he thought that she would never forget what his ship mates had done to her. That idea was, of course, ridiculous. Jez had been strange at that time-he remembered. He could still remember the taste of her blood; the warm red liquid that was the life of the half-vampire…and something else. Natalie wasn't just a half-breed. There was something about her-something he'd never noticed in Connor or his sister, Grace. That something was sleeping inside her for decades, and he knew a time would come when it would awake-and maybe-

_Stupid._

What was he thinking? Jez grinned at the foolish thought. No, she couldn't be that.

His gaze fell on the dark desk sitting in a corner. It was cluttered, so he pushed the maps and leather bound books away as he eased himself down. He wasn't bookish, and the torture of reading killed him every time, but there were some things a Captain should know. Jez pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write:

_He was baffled. Tell your Captain we may drop by tonight._

He folded it, and pushed the paper away. He thought of the Nocturne's corridors, its black leathery sails and the one who he'd just wrote to. The folded paper disappeared before his eyes and he smiled in satisfaction. This was a way of communication he preferred, and was the easiest thing. He'd discovered it the moment he'd set his foot inside his cabin after that night. He hadn't gone to see her again because he was afraid. He felt disgusted of what he'd done in the past, and hoped he would do something to make it up for them. He knew the Vampirate Captain of the Nocturne had been kind to him, Darcy flotsam had been certainly fun, but he'd betrayed each and everyone of them. He'd Betrayed Connor-and Bart. Where was Bart now? He didn't know. Where were that cutlass Cate, and the captain from the Diablo-Molluco Wrathe? How were they?

He couldn't go to the Nocturne tonight-he just couldn't. It meant that he was going to crush Darcy's feelings by not going-because he knew Ken wouldn't go without him. He'd drag Jez out of the _Covert_ no matter what if he caught his train of thought now. He yearned to see them all-the longing was greater than the need of blood, but this shame and the feeling of not being accepted took hold of him. He wanted to go. He wanted to see Natalie, see her beautiful blue-green eyes like the depths of an ocean. She's accepted him as someone to trust, and though she didn't know, it eased a little pain inside him. She gave him hope that perhaps, the others would accept him too.

Jez sighed, closing his eyes. He was stuck on going and NOT going.

…………………………………………………

Kenyon looked excited. That annoyed him.

"Please" Jez said again. "Can't we not go? I'm not sure about this, you know"

They both were dressed in their finery, and Cecil had remarked that they looked like male models for tuxedos. Jez said retorted that he felt like he was going to hell. Bo Yin or Cecil, as she called herself now, had tutted sympathically because she knew why Jez was acting like that.

Then Cecil had laughed, embraced them both tightly and had told Jez to calm down. This was a bit strange for Jez, because he'd never really felt this nervous before. Now he was still trying to make Kenyon go back to their ship but Kenyon was stubborn.

"Jez, I know what your problem is, and it's stupid" Kenyon had said a matter-of-factly. "So sit down and shut it"

"Ken-"

"Damn you, Jez, why do you want me to go back?"

"I don't know…"

Kenyon smiled in the brightness of the full moon.

"Go on, steer this thing back" he dared. "I know you won't"

"Ken-what if she still isn't ready? What if…" Jez said trailed off, feeling yet another tidal wave of unhappiness and confusion.

"What if she likes to write to me, but isn't ready to see me? What if she doesn't accept my offer?"

Ken just snorted as they caught the sight of it.

As the swirling silver mist started to clear, the dark sails came out of the blackness, it was directly below the big, full moon. Its light made the leathery sails glisten with occasional streak of brilliant white light. Jez leaned on the rail lightly, as a thousand feelings rushed through him as he saw the gigantic shape of the Nocturne. She'd told them.

Cecil climbed up the deck to join them, her arms resting upon her friends' shoulders. Jez trembled a bit, but not because of Cecil.

"You're going to be fine" she smiled at them reassuringly. "We'll hang around a bit, so don't worry. The guys are fed and are planning to lay low tonight. We'll come back for you near the dawn, okay?"

Jez nodded. He was grateful for her to do the talking, because he was frozen, it seemed. He was tongue-tied. How he hated to be nervous.

"I see them!" they heard a cry from the nearing ship. "They're here, Nat, they're here!"

Jez could make out several people on the dark deck, and he could see her.

His heart jumped a million miles.

_Easy._

Jez felt the Covert slow down too, and then the ship were only a dozen or so feet apart. Cecil patted them again, and pushed them forward.

"Go on, you buffoons! They're not gonna wait for an eternity!" she said, bemused.

"Alright!" Kenyon replied. "Stop pushing me, Cel, or you'll push me into the waters and never see my face again!"

"Oh, I'm sure" Cecil said sarcastically, her silky black hair moving with the wind.

When it was finally safe for them to descend onto the Nocturne, Jez followed Kenyon, who seemed to be working on some kind of hyper energy, jumped down onto the deck. As soon as Jez's feet touched the ground, someone was rushing towards him, into his arms.

"Jez! You came!!"

Jez laughed softly, and pulled back slightly to see Natalie properly. Her features had perfected even more. She'd sheared off her waist-length dark caramel brown hair. Now they reached her shoulders and the new style looked even better on her.

"Of course, I was going to" Jez grinned, his nervousness suddenly evaporating. "I missed you".

"Jez!" now more people were surrounding them.

Natalie pulled back to let Grace Tempest, the perfect porcelain doll, to step forward. He couldn't believe how much she'd changed since the last time he'd seen her.

"Grace, Jez. Jez, Grace" Natalie introduced.

"Oh, I know her, Natalie" Jez said. "Why, you have changed dramatically, Miss Tempest"

Grace smiled at him.

"So have you, Jez" she said. She hugged him, and that wasn't as surprising as what happened next.

"Darcy!" Grace yelled behind her shoulder. There stood the thin figure. Jez noted that Darcy hadn't changed a bit. She looked exactly like she did; clothed in her finery, looking pretty with Kenyon. Jez smiled slightly as she propelled him towards Jez and the girls.

"Hi" she said brightly, as if meeting him for the first time.

"Hi" he returned. They stood there, not daring to step forward. There was a moment of awkwardness.

"Kenyon, hey man!" two thick-looking Vampirates emerged. "Nice to see yer standin' Mate!" one of them said.

Kenyon grinned, and introduced them to Jez.

"These guys saved my life" Ken beamed. "I would've burned to death in my stupor if it hadn't been for them"

"Thank you" Jez said. "For saving my best buddy"

"Aw, shucks" said the ginger-haired one, embarrassed. "Don't thank us, thank Darce, 'Ere. She truly din't act like a lady at that time"

Darcy smoothed her skirts. "It sure doesn't hurt to be un lady-like once in a while"

Grace snorted. Then she grinned at the guests, particularly at Jez.

"I've got a surprise for you" she told him.

"Tell them" Natalie urged. "It isn't a surprise-he'll guess"

"What?" Jez asked.

"Well" Grace said mysteriously. "We're going to have a feast tonight-"

"-and that's your surprise?" Kenyon asked.

"Shut up, Kenyon, listen" Darcy hushed him.

"-and I invited the guys over" Grace continued. "You don't mind, do you?"

"The guys?" Jez repeated. "You mean Connor?"

"That make him a _guy_" Kenyon said dryly. "Who're the _guys_?"

Grace smiled. "You'll see. It's basically a surprise for Jez"

Jez was confused. Who was anyone besides Connor? Unless she meant-

"They're here!" one of the spectators yelled. "Ah, you sure we told ze Captain that we'll be having company tonight? I'm not sure we can handle humans"

"That's why I told the only ones to come" Grace explained.

They could see a small rowing boat floating towards them steadily. Three figures sat in it, and there was some thing smallish between them.

Then he could see them.

Jez felt a rush of warmth for his friends, and he was lost for words. He couldn't explain how happy their presence made him.

Then the first to come onboard was Connor, lean and tall, and was attacked by Grace as soon as he stepped up the rope-ladder. A large man followed him, and Jez smiled.

"Bart! Cate!" he yelled, bewildered.

Bart was-Jez couldn't explain it. Jez crossed the space between them and they were hugging tightly before any one of them even knew it. It had been so long.

"I'm sorry for all the past, I really am" Jez said forcefully.

Bart grinned at him.

"Aw, don't, Jez" he said softly. "We didn't know either. Man, look at you!"

"Look at me? Look at me for what? I'm the same, look at you; you've grown to the size of a bear!" Jez laughed, punching him on the shoulder. He hadn't known that Bart would forgive him so quickly; if he had, then Jez would've apologized ages ago.

Bart laughed, and pulled back to let Cate hug Jez. Her hair was still short, but it was a several shade lighter than before-because of the sun, Jez thought enviously.

"You're cold!" Cate exclaimed.

"Right you are_, sir_" Jez grinned at her.

"He's never going to change" Cate rolled her eyes at Bart. That was when Jez saw the child behind them.

Bart noticed his gaze and grinned.

"I got her, Jez" he announced. "Married her. This's Dan"

Jez stared at his friend, shocked.

"You _got married_?!" he said, surprised, staring at Bart and Cate.

"It was great" Cate said.

"Hey, Danny boy" Jez grinned at the shy little red-haired boy hiding behind his parents. "Come out"

The boy was clearly frightened.

Jez turned to Bart.

"Your son isn't as bold as you" he said disappointedly. "Tell me, how did the Captain react?"

"Blew up when he found out" Bart said proudly. "But no offense; I'm glad we didn't get kicked out to the sharks the very day. Dan's gonna be trained as a pirate".

"Yeah, for sure" Connor appeared next to them. He wasn't looking at Jez.

"Did you hear what this boy did?" Bart asked Jez.

Jez shook his head.

"He…what did you do to Sidorio, exactly?" Bart asked.

"I don't want to talk about it" Connor said stiffly. "And if you guys please, come inside. The feast's going to begin"

He strolled off. They stared at him.

"I wish he'd forgive me" Jez said guiltily. "I tried to make it up for him"

"He'll get over it" Cate said. "Go on, go to the feast. We'll be safe"

* * *

Jez could see the faint greenish tinge to the horizon, and knew he must get going. Kenyon was no where to be found, and he was alone here. He sighed.

He pushed himself up, wondering where Ken was or when the sharing would end. He'd refused when they'd offered him a free donor, remembering Shanti.

The deck was empty, and Bart and his family had left hours ago. Connor had stayed, but Jez hadn't seen him. Jez was irritated-he knew the blood lust was coming on, raging inside him. But so far, it was under control.

_So you've finally joined us then._

The whisper filled his head and Jez whipped around.

A cloaked figure stood there.

"Captain" Jez said respectfully. The Vampirate Captain strolled towards him and they shook hands.

_I must congratulate you. I hear you're in possession of a ship called Covert?_

"Yes"

_A very fine ship, they say. I'm glad you came to the right side._

"Captain-I'm sorry for everything-" Jez began quickly.

_There is no need. We welcome you back among us, Jez. You're already making up for your mistake. Say no more on that subject._

"Thank you"

_I'll be seeing you._

"Yeah"

He watched the Captain shut the door of his cabin.

"Hi"

Jez saw her emerging from the stairs. She'd changed into a light-colored shirt and trousers. She stopped beside him, looking over at the horizon

"Where were you?" Jez asked Natalie.

"I've been packing" she said. "Jez, can I come with you/"

"Come where?"

"To your ship. I want to come with you" she said, not looking at him.

"Why?" he was flying.

"I want to change my home" she grinned at the sky.

"Is that it?"

"Well, yeah"

Jez felt there was more to it.

After a moment, she said:

"Well, will you let me?" She turned her eyes upon him.

"Sure" Jez couldn't help it. He smiled. "But don't tell me later that you're bored"

"Oh, I won't" Natalie said. She hesitated.

Jez turned towards her.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"I-it's nothing" she avoided his gaze.

"What?"

"Nothing"

"C'mon, spill" he grinned teasingly at her.

"It's just…" She said slowly. "Oh, you wouldn't understand"

"Try me"

"Well, the last time you bit me" she began and Jez looked away. She continued," A blood bond was established. I asked the Vampire guru, Mosh Zu Kamal about it. He said it can't be broken"

_Oh. That's why she's still talking to me_.

"It's-depressing" he choked out. It didn't seem depressing to him.

Natalie swallowed. Her hair shielded her face from him.

They didn't talk for a few minutes.

"I thought you liked it" she said, and he was surprised to see her voice break.

"I-Natalie, what's wrong?"

Her eyes were glistening with tears. She shook her head.

Jez grabbed her shoulders. "Tell me" he insisted.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"The bond" she said finally. "I like having a bond with you, Jez. I was afraid of you before, but I'm not now. I know that this bond completes me as a person. I knew this the moment you had your fangs in my neck. I'm not an ordinary Vampirate. I don't like blood. I can't survive without blood. But the Guru told me that as long as I get Vampire venom, I don't need blood. We already share a bond, you can-if you want-take my blood and in that way I'll get your venom"

Jez let out his breath. He hadn't braced himself to hear this.

"Nat, I'd be glad to" he breathed. "I was going to ask you to come with me…but I wasn't sure you'd agree"

"I already did" she smiled.

That was when his control break. He pulled her hair back, and he was sucking her blood out. He'd never drunk like this before. It was wild, in open, and he was high off the ground to another universe. How long he'd wished and dreamed of this. It was bliss and a curse he could never escape. He was drinking and taking in every drop, it seemed, he sunk in his teeth more, and she didn't even flinch. She didn't fight him because she understood him, and his need.

And this was for ever.

The moon overhead grew faint as the dawn's first rays illuminated the dark sky.

* * *

**Well, this was the best I could do yet. I'm going to write a sequel soon, and I'm sure you'll love it. **

**And oh, I've got just one more request for you:**

**REVIEW.**

**P.S.**

**The new story may take some time.**

**Hope you loved my fic.:)**


	33. Important AN Must read

**Hey, y'all. Uh...Anyone...out there? Hello? I'm so so SO sorry that I haven't updated for about, TWO years, yeah? I've been so busy...moving, college, moving...I know I've probably scared you guys away through my hiatus...I'm really sorry about that! Anyway, I've decided that it's about time that I had my own characters to write about. :/ I've started this new story:**

**His Evil Cinderella  
**

**Can it be possible that Rae Wyman really was once Prince Charming and that his Cinderella turned evil and killed him? His strange nightmares worry him more and more. He just wanted to have a normal college life. What if...his Cinderella was resurrected? More importantly, why does this nagging feeling tell him that somehow the history is going to be repeated?**

**It's basically a more polished, BETTER, edited version of my old story, Rosa Obscura. Please check it out. That is, if you've not abandoned me. Pleeease?  
**

**I won't be posting much here anymore. At least, I don't think so. Not in the immediate future. I'll be working on HEC. Cheers. Here's the link:  
**

** story/2012008-his-evil-cinderella**

**Thank you so much for reviewing my (really badly written) stories, guys. It meant a lot to me.  
**

**XOXO,  
**

**~Midnight.  
**


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